


Look Into My Eyes and Tell Me What You See

by love_anime123



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coffee Shops, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Slow Build, Slow Burn, University, links to outfits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:48:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 86,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25251898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_anime123/pseuds/love_anime123
Summary: From sitting on bridges to meeting in coffee shops. From friendship trouble to Calculus tutoring. From carnival dates to Christmas parties. From birthday picnics to cemeteries. From guilty confessions to meeting childhood friends. From beer pong games to quoting Lady Gaga. From cute berets to food fights. From innocent dinner parties to exposing games of Never Have I Ever. From dancing in the rain to first times. Eren and Levi had gone through it all. But Levi didn’t know if he would be able to get through this.
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Erwin Smith, Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 31
Kudos: 89





	1. Meet Me at Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: mentions of suicide throughout the work

Tonight was the night Levi was going to do it. He stood on the middle of his house wearing a black shirt, ripped jeans, and combat boots. Tonight was going to be the night he will last see this place, he hoped. He quickly walked toward the front door, opened it, shut it and locked it behind him. He made his way towards Titan Bridge, taking a deep breath and getting ready for what was about to come.

Rosemaria was a very small city. It didn’t compare to big metropolitan hotspots but it was a booming location nonetheless. Still, even if it was a city, it didn’t compare to the sleepless nights of New York. It was a common thing for the inhabitants to close their businesses at midnight during week days. Only clubs and bars stayed open past that time, but mostly only on Friday nights and weekends. So, the roads were often empty and the Titan Bridge was completely deserted after midnight, which was pretty convenient for Levi tonight.

Levi walked along the bridge, watching the city next to him start to turn off its bright lights and turn into darkness. The only thing obstructing his view was the concrete wall that acted as a railing for the cars and the joggers that often infested the bridge in the early Saturday mornings. But this wall was short so the raven didn’t mind too much that it ruined the beautiful view. The raven stopped suddenly and leaned his elbows on the wall, resting his head on his open palm. He watched the river under him flow, the sound rumbling and echoing in the night. He took a deep sigh and easily climbed the wall. He sat on it, his feet dangling off, feeling the wind hug his body. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see anything. He only wanted to feel. Levi wanted to dive into the water, but he didn’t.

Levi knew he couldn’t do it. He knew that his chest hurt from all the pain. He knew his lungs ached to get air and his limbs burned for something other than monotony. He wanted to just feel something else, something real and tangible. But he couldn’t bring himself to put an end to everything. Yes, he wanted change but he wanted _good_ change, not an end. The night air was enveloping him and it felt good, it felt comforting. He took a deep breath, smelling the unmistakeable scent of the river below him.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab his waist and pull him back onto the road. Levi gasped and opened his eyes to meet a boy with a mop of brown hair and tan skin. Even though it was dark, the boy's eyes sparkled a strange color of a mixture of blue and green, a blend Levi had never seen and couldn’t quite pinpoint. He didn’t even think there was a name for a color that beautiful. He was entranced by it, staring at them with no consciousness of time or place. He could have stayed there forever, just trying to decide the color of the man’s eyes and if those were really specks of gold around his irises, but the moment was ruined when the brunette spoke.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?” at being snapped out of his daze, Levi realized the compromising position he was in. When the mysterious man had pulled him back by the waist, he had laid him on the floor before accidentally falling on him. So now, Levi was laying on the dirty ass road with a random stranger on top of him like this was fucking romantic comedy. Levi rolled his eyes and harshly pushed the kid off.

“I was minding my own business when you rudely interrupted me.” Levi said, getting up and dusting himself off, knowing fully well that he would have to get home to take the third shower of the day and wash his clothes at least twice. It was a dirty road after all and one could never be too careful.

"Are you crazy? Were you trying to kill yourself?"

“No, I wasn’t,” Levi half-lied. He had come with the intention but knew that he would never go through with it. He just wasn’t the type. It wasn’t in him. “I was just sitting, watching the city. I didn’t know that was illegal,”

“It isn’t but it’s dangerous. What if someone walked around here and didn’t notice you sitting there and pushed you off? You could have fallen and died,”

"Listen, kid, I don't need you to lecture me. I’ve been doing this since before you were born, probably. I think I can take care of myself. So, save it because I'm leaving." Levi slipped past the brunet. He tooka shot in the dark about the man being younger than him. He simply guessed, considering he looked like he was fresh out of high school.

“Look, I’m sorry to have ruined your ‘pleasant evening routine’, if you claim that was what it was. But, I’d hate to let you leave now and hear about you on the evening news,” The boy said as he grabbed Levi's wrist once again.

“Kid, I appreciate your annoying need to ease your conscience and avoid guilt but really, I’m not going to do anything dangerous.” Levi protested and pulled at his wrist, breaking free. He didn’t like people touching him, he could never know if their hands were clean or not.

"Dude, you were sitting on that railing like you were itching to jump. I may be young but I’m not stupid. And even if you had not intention of doing it, I would really prefer if you just went home. You never know if the wind could blow the wrong way and push you off.”

“Well, aren’t you the hero? Do you want an award, brat? All you did was ruin a perfectly good night. Go away,” Levi said, rolling his eyes once again and heading towards the railing to lean his forearms against it and look at the city again. It was much darker now,with only the light posts on every street corner providing any source of brightness.

“Speaking of night,” the brat insisted in continuing the conversation while standing next to Levi and copying him, “what are you doing here at”—he glanced at the watch on his wrist quickly before continuing—“two thirty-seven in the morning on a Wednesday?”

“Technically, since it’s two in the morning it’s Thursday, not Wednesday,” Levi huffed, trying to ignore the kid.

“Oh,” Eren said, before chuckling lightly, a sound that reached Levi’s ears and disgusted him for sounding so low and contagious, “you’re one of _those_ people,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Levi grimaced and opted to glance at the kidjust to see if the boy’s eyes would look different closer to the lights of the city. The boy wasn’t looking at him, he was staring ahead with the smile that had stayed behind when the chuckle subsided.

“You know; one of those kids in the sleepover who say it’s tomorrow as soon as the clock strikes midnight. Like, I’m sorry but it’s not tomorrow until I wake up,” the brunette explained and chuckled at his own remark.

“Well, it’s a good thing the world doesn’t run on your definition of time then,” Levi huffed, already wanting to go back home to forget he ever had the misfortune of interacting with this brat.

“Oh, hush,” the kid said, glancing at him for the first time since he continued the torture that was this conversation, “you didn’t answer my question.”

“That’s because I expertly evaded it,” the brunette laughed at that, his voice echoing throughout the empty bridge. It irritated Levi to no end.

“Come on! Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious to be here, alone, in the middle of the night? Hm?” he prodded, urging Levi to answer him.

“It’s ironic you’re asking that because you’re also here, alone, in the middle of the night,” Levi mocked, letting a smirk slip onto his face when the brunette’s face fell. At the realization, the younger let out an embarrassed laugh and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Touche,”

Levi decided that the conversation would end right there. He stopped leaning on the wall, put his hands in his pockets and began to walk back to his house.

“Hey, wait up!” he heard the kid yell, jogging a bit to catch up to the Levi, “Where are you rushing off to?”

“Home,” Levi answered curtly.

“Well, don’t you know it’s rude to head out in the middle of a conversation without any explanation or even a goodbye?” Levi could almost hear a tone of annoyance in the younger’s voice but decided to ignore it.

“I hardly call those four lines of banter a conversation,” Levi huffed, walking faster to lose the younger.

“Can you stop walking so fast? God, you walk pretty quickly for someone who has short legs,” Levi stopped dead in his tracks, causing the younger to bump into him by accident. He turned around and grabbed the taller’s shirt collar, bunching it up and yanking it down to his level. The kid gasped in surprise as a strong arm pulled him down to piercing blue eyes.

“Maybe my legs will seem longer to you once I shove my foot so far up your ass that you’lltaste the bottom of my boot for a week,” Levi said, his voice steady and menacing. He watched as the younger visibly swallowed and shook from the shiver that had overcome him. Levi fought off a victory smirk from showing onto his face. 

“O-oh…kay. That was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m sorry?” It was more of a question than an actual apology, but Levi let it slide. He let go of the younger’s collar and continued to walk.

He was aware that the kid was still following him, probably to make sure Levi wasn’t going to kill himself, as the younger believed. But Levi decided not to threaten the brat anymore. If he withstood when Levi almost ripped his shirt from the force of pulling him down to his eye level then he would probably stand his ground against any other threats. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? Levi was pretty confident he could take care of himself against a kid, no matter how much taller he was. Levi didn’t know it at the moment but he had actually only let the brunette follow him and continue conversation because he took Levi’s mind off everything that the raven was going through.

“Anyways,” Eren said, dragging out the ‘a’ in the word, making Levi roll his eyes once again, “I’m going to pretend that never happened so I don’t have nightmares tonight.” Levi smirked at the comment, feeling prideful.

He had expected Levi to say something, to continue the conversation, but obviously the raven didn’t. At that moment, the brunette noticed that if he wanted to keep talking to the man he would have to put in all the effort and drag the words out of Levi’s mouth.

“I’m Eren, it was not very nice to meet you but that’s okay,”

“It wasn’t nice to meet you either, Aaron,”

“No, not Aa-RON. It’s Eh-REN,”

“Erin?” Levi smirked, enjoying how easy it was to mess with the kid.

“No. It’s Eh-REN. Like E-R-E-N,”

“Ah, my mistake,”

“You’re such an ass,” Eren said, but with no motive to insult Levi. There was more humor in his voice than anything else. Levi noted that the younger could at least take a joke. A couple of minutes went by in silence before Eren broke it, obviously.

“Are you not going to tell me your name?”

“No, I don’t think I will,”

“Oh, come on! That’s so unfair,” Eren whined, making him look a lot younger than he was.

“Don’t be a brat. I never asked for your name. You gave it to me willingly. I don’t see any obligation to give mine,” Levi explained and all Eren could do was pout in silence.

“Ugh, fine. Asshole,”

Once again, there was a peaceful silence as they walked. Peaceful was not really the best word, Levi noted. He knew the word he was looking for was “comfortable” but he denied it endlessly in his own head. Suddenly, the _peaceful_ silence was interrupted by a loud ringtone.

_Fuck me, daddy better make me choke. You better hump me, fuck me_

Both males visibly flinched at the sudden sound and the lyrics. Levi had to try really hard to swallow the chuckle that was coming up on his throat at the lyrics. Eren seemed just as surprised as Levi, quickly reaching for his phone and turning off the volume. Levi briefly wondered if Eren’s face could get any redder than it was at the moment.

“I swear to god I’m going to _kill_ that horseface. I swear my friend did this as a joke, this is not my usual ringtone at all,” Eren quickly explained, trying to at least gain back a little bit of Levi’s respect.

“Hey, no need to explain anything to me. To each their own,” Levi said, laugher in his eyes and a small smirk on his lips. This kid really was a whole other thing.

Before the call could drop, Eren picked it up and put the phone tohis ear. Immediately upon saying hello, though, he pulled the phone away from him. A voice so loud was emanating from the phone so forcefully that even Levi heard it. He couldn’t quite understand what the other line was saying but could sense the angry tone in the speaker.

"Mikasa, calm down. Take deep breaths, I am perfectly fine. I’ll be home in a few,” Eren promised, staring at Levi as if the older could help him. Levi looked at him and shrugged, silently saying _you’re on your own, buddy_. At the gesture, Eren narrowed his eyes at him and mouthed _traitor_.

The person on the other line kept yelling through their entire silent communication, making Levi just a little irritated. Finally, when he thought he couldn’t take the muffled yelling any longer, Eren led out an exasperated sigh and hung up. When Levi silently questioned him, the younger shrugged, showing that he had done the action multiple times before.

"Girlfriend?" Levi asked, only just a little curious.

“I never would have thought you had a sense of humor. No, definitely not.She's my crazy-over- protective- surprisingly- strong sister." Eren corrected and Levi nodded, satisfied with the answer. Levi then stopped, pulling the keys out of his jean pocket.

"This is my house." Levi said as he walked toward the door, “now you can rest assured that you won’t see me in the evening news today,”

“That’s very comforting, thank you,” Eren said, standing awkwardly as Levi opened his front door. Levi noticed and sighed irritably.

“Look, kid, I’m not going to invite you in. It was a positively riveting night” —Eren smiled slightly at Levi’s sarcasm—“but if you don’t mind, I’d rather never see you again,”

“Well, sucks to be you, mysterious stranger, because this is a pretty small city and we’re bound to cross paths some time,”

“Ugh, just the thought of it makes me want to vomit,” Levi said and Eren laughed at the comment, showing no sign of being offended.

“Well, I should probably get back home before my sister files a Missing Persons report again,”

"Again?" Levi raised an eyebrow and Eren chuckled.

“It’s a long story. Maybe I can tell you about it if we ever see each other again,” Eren said, smiling widely.

“On second thought,” Levi said, putting the keys back in his pocket after finally opening the door, “I don’t need to know that badly.”

“If you say so. See you around…No Name,” Eren said, waving at him and walking away. Levi almost asked him what that meant but then realized that he had refused to give Eren his name. _How creative_ , Levi thought before rolling his eyes and walking inside his house.

Levi closed the front door, sighed,and went to his room. He opened the bedroom door and immediately went to the bathroom inside it. He really needed that shower. He could still feel the small pieces of gravel stuck to his clothes and his hair. Fucking gross.

The raven showered and put his clothes to wash. After getting dressed in his pajamas, he went down to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. When he glanced at the time in the oven he saw that it was almost 4 in the morning. He passed a hand through his hair, knowing his day had just started and he would have to go to work in two hours.

It was okay though, the cup of tea was delicious.


	2. To Learn Your Name

It had already been two weeks since Levi had met Eren and he couldn’t be happier. True to what he had said, they hadn’t seen each other since that night, no matter how small Eren claimed the city to be. Levi didn’t hate Eren, of course not, but he didn’t like him either. He was just so energetic and…happy all the time. It was annoying and contrasted sharply with Levi’s attitude. And even if he could take Levi’s insults and jokes like a champ, he was just way too talkative and extroverted.

But one day, when Levi was getting ready to go to his job, he couldn’t help but think about the brat. Of course, the first thing that came to his mind were the boy’s eyes. It had been the first thing Levi ever saw of him, after all. To this day, the elder was still surprised a mortal could posses such enchanting orbs. It was incredibly ridiculous and utterly unfair. Levi shook his head to get rid of the thought. He really didn’t need to be thinking of that kid at the moment; he was going to be late to work. And, really, as the co-owner of the shop, he should set an example.

Levi walked inside the coffee shop and immediately scrunched up his nose at the smell. It wasn’t really that Levi hated coffee, it was more like it gave him a stomachache and diarrhea. Still, when his friend Erwin offered a partnership in the shop, he couldn’t refuse. It was specially hard to say no when Erwin told him that he could put whatever teas he wanted into the menu. While it was a little bit of a hassle dealing with entitled customers and incompetent employees, he knew it was better to be the boss and owner of something than to be stuck in an office stapling papers for eight hours a day.

He nodded towards the employees that were already inside, setting up for the day. He walked into his office and started to bring out his cleaning supplies. Erwin always made fun of him for cleaning his entire officebefore the shop even opened and after everyone was gone. But Levi didn’t care. He kept a very strict cleaning policy in check and everyone at the shop knew it. Not one machine had coffee stains on it, not one cup was left dirty in the sink, and not a single table had a speck of dust on it. Levi’s shop had never gotten anything but the highest score during health inspections and he didn’t intend to change that.

When he was done cleaning, he sat at his desk, getting ready to go over some finances and shipment confirmations. Then, Erwin walked in suddenly, greeting Levi quickly before closing the door.

“Bad news,” Erwin said and Levi could just _hear_ the gods laughing at him. He motioned for Erwin to continue.

“So, Nanaba had to call off work today because she has mono and we need someone to run the register,”

“Okay, can’t Christa do it?” Levi asked, glancing at the schedule on his desk to see who was supposed to be working today.

“No, she’s training the new boy,” Levi opened his mouth to speak but Erwin continued, “and before you say anything, no, Levi, she can’t train the new kid _and_ run the register,”

Levi sighed and passed a hand though his hair. His mind raced to find another possible solution, something that could get him out of this. But he knew he was grasping at straws and that what Erwin was implying was inevitable.

“Ugh, fine. But I swear to god if Nanaba gets sick one more time I’m firing her,” Levi said, standing up from his desk to go into the drawer next to the door. He opened it and pulled out the dark green apron with the coffee shop logo that he used to wear when the shop was still new and was run by only him and Erwin.

Erwin chuckled at the empty threat, opening the door for the small male to take his spot behind the register.

To Levi's terror it was the worst season of the year to work in a coffee shop. It was fall and the temperature was starting to drop. He just knew stupid teenagers would be passing by here on their way to school (and possible after as well) to warm up for the day. He rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing that the day he was expecting to spend cooped up in his office and away from the nightmare that is customer service was long gone.

The annoying bell that signaled that a new customer had arrived rang. Their best and regular customer stepped in.

“Good morning, guys!” Armin called, mostly to Christa who was behind the counter, talking to the new guy. His surprise in seeing Levi behind the counter was obvious in his face but he quickly hid it with asmile.

“Hello, Levi. Long time since I’ve seen you in such a “good attitude required” position. What’s the occasion?”

“Nanaba has mono,” Levi answered curtly. He had known the blonde for a long time. Armin had been one of the first people to discover the shop and fall in love with it. There was something about it that made Armin feel like he was home. There was a sort of warmth and intimacy in the small shop that just didn’t compete with the other big chain competitors. Besides, Armin had been coming to the shop since Erwin ran the counter and Levi made the coffee. He knew both owners well enough, even if both of them had moved on to more administrative tasks when the store had started to become more popular. He felt committed to the store now.

“Is your order still the same as the first time I took it?” Levi asked, wondering if the blonde had ever bothered to try anything different while Levi had taken refuge away from the customers in his cushy office.

“You know I’m very traditional, Levi,” Armin said, pulling out his waller already.

“I can’t believe you still remember my order. It’s been a long time since you have shown your face to the customers here. Do you even remember how to work the cash register?” Armin teased and Levi rolled his eyes at the blonde. Levi knew that Armin was still a college student, not even close to Levi’s age at all but the elder held him in high regard. He was young but he was an absolute genius and acted more grown up than anyone Levi had ever met. Armin had gained his respect forever when he had given him and Erwin some much needed business advice when they were still struggling to keep up with the bills.

“It’s been a long time, yes, but not _that_ long,” Levi huffed, writing the man’s name on the cup and giving the order to Christa. Armin paid him and reached for his receipt.

“Oh, Levi, before I forget. I will be coming this afternoon with some friends to study for the upcoming finals. You know, end of the semester is soon and all.Do you mind reserving a table for us? If it isn’t too much trouble, of course.”

“Sure, no worries,” Levi said right as Christa called Armin’s name from the other side of the counter. Armin got his coffee and thanked Levi before heading out, opening the door for a couple that was walking in.

The day was really not as bad as he though it was going to be. Sure, there were plenty ofannoying customers and the thoughts of all the work he would have to make up tomorrow for missing today was making his head hurt, but it wasn’t nearly as full or as busy as he thought it was going to be.

Before Levi knew it, it was already late in the afternoon. Luckily,there was one table right next to the counter with a window view. He took out a pen, picked up a napkin and wrote "Reserved" on and laid it on top of the table. As he walked back to the counter that annoying bell rang. Levi was really considering getting rid of that thing. When he looked to see who it was, Armin was waving at him for the second time that day. Without saying anything, Levi pointed towards the table next to him. Armin nodded and smiled.

“This way, guys,” he said, motioning to an almost bald kid and a girl with brown hair up high in a ponytail. 

Suddenly, that damn bell rang again and Levi’s eye twitched at the sound.

“Oh my god, Mikasa, I’ll be fine. It’s not like the final is going to be that hard. It’s only European history,” A familiar voice rang across the room. Now, where had he heard that voice? Before Levi could even contemplate it, the brunette stared at Levi and then smiled brightly. He bounced up to the counter, stepping away from the black haired girl he had walked in with. Levi rolled his eyes at the younger’s wide smile.

“So I was right. We did meet again, No Name,” there it is, that annoying little smile and confident attitude.

“Oh, shut up,” Levi answered, clearly not happy about Eren leaning his elbows on the counter and teasing him.

“Don’t be so bitter”—Eren’s eyes glanced to the name tag on the apron and smiled mischievously—“ _Levi_.”

The name rolled smoothly out of Eren’s mouth, followed by the biggest grin Levi had ever seen. Only too late did Levi realize his mistake and covered his name tag with his hand. At the sound of Eren saying Levi’s name, Armin turned to look at their interaction.

"Wait, Eren, you know Levi?" Armin asked, confused since he was sure Eren had never seen the male when Armin had brought him all these times. And this was the first time Levi was behind the counter in ages.

“Yeah, you could say that. We met a couple of weeks ago. He’s a total asshole,” Eren said, smiling at Levi like he was part of a motherfucking circus.

“Shut up, brat. You’re just mad I made you shit your pants,” Levi said, recalling when he had threatened the kid with shoving his foot up his ass.

“You did not!” Eren protested, “you simply startled me, that’s all.” Eren tried to play it cool but Levi smirked, knowing he now had the upper hand. So Eren knew his name; big deal. Plenty of people knew his name.

Eren noticed how his friends were staring at him. He looked at them and saw Armin’s surprised face and Mikasa’s cautious glare.

"You guys go sit at the table, I will be there in a few. I’d like to order something,” Eren promised. Armin nodded hesitantly and dragged Mikasa to the table, where Connie and Sasha were already looking over the laminated menu.

“I would ask for the sweetest thing you have in the shop but I can’t really drink myself,” Eren said, smirking like he had said the coolest thing in the world.

“You’re by far the dumbest brat I have ever met,” Levi huffed, rolling his eyes.

“You’re no fun. At least I can take jokes,” Eren shot back, staring at Levi intently to see his reaction. Predictably, Levi’s face remained emotionless.

“Ugh, fine. Can I get a medium iced white chocolate mocha?”

“Iced? It’s the middle of November,” Levi judged.

“I’m not one to get cold. My body is always warm for some reason,” Eren gave a toothy grin as Levi gave the order to Christa. It wasn’t a to-go order so he didn’t have to write Eren’s name on a cup but he sure wished he did. He would bet the brunette would get annoyed if Levi misspelled his name.

“I didn’t know you worked here. I come with Armin all the time and I’ve never seen you,” Eren said, leaning on the counter to stare at Levi.

“I don’t work here. I own this place. That’s why you never see me,” Levi said, mentally cursing that he couldn’t tell Eren to move out of the way because there wasn’t really anyone in line behind him.

“Hm, what an entrepreneur,” Eren said, glancing around the store, “it seems to be pretty successful. There are plenty of people here; almost every table is full,”

Levi hummed in acknowledgement and told Eren to just hand him the money and leave him alone.

“Are you always this cranky? Or is it the metal rod up your ass?” Eren asked, just loving the fact that he can tease Levi in front of witnesses who would vouch for him if the raven decided he had enough and assaulted him.

“I think it’s just you, brat,” Levi answered, handing him the mason jar with a napkin. Eren grinned brightly before walking to the table with his friends.

Through the whole afternoon Levi listened to Mikasa lecturing Eren about bringing his grades up and Armin offering tutoring but Eren turning him down because the blonde was too smart for him. Levi gave out a chuckle.

_I can’t believe this brat is smart enough to be in college,_ Levi thought.


	3. Equivalent Exchange

Eren honestly hated school. He despised the classes and the teachers. He only ever really enjoyed the classes necessary for his major. He had majored in Marine Biology on a whim. He had never planned to go to college but he decided to go last minute because he really didn’t know what else to do. Everyone he knew had college as a part of their lives so he decided to include it in his. He wasn’t interested in any of the majors the university offered until he saw that Marine Biology was an option. Ever since he was a kid he always wanted to see the ocean and was beyond interested in the animals that lived there.

He shuffled toward his only class for the day, Calculus 1. He needed to complete this class for his major and he absolutely hated that. There was nothing he hated more than math. It just really didn’t make any sense whatsoever and no one could convince him that it did. He sighed as he sat down on his desk. He really just wanted to sleep. He tried not to drown in his own bad aura.

***

When class ended, Eren decided that he could really go for a cup of coffee. And wow, would you look at that? There is a nearby coffee shop that Eren knew. He smirked and walked.

When he arrived, he opened the door but was disappointed to see a very pretty girl behind the counter.

“Hi! Welcome to The Survey Corps cafe. I’m Christa and I’m training this guy, Haru”—she pointed towards the bored looking guy next to her—“do you mind if he takes your order?”

“Not at all,” Eren said and asked for the same thing he had asked a couple of days before when Levi had taken his order.

“Hey, you don’t happen to know where Levi is, do you?” Eren asked the blonde girl.

“Oh, Levi the owner? He’s in the office in the back. Do you want me to call him?”

“Yes, please. Tell him it’s…” Eren knew Levi would probably never come out to see him if he knew it was the younger calling him. “Tell him it’s Mr. Jeager and that it’s very important.” The girl nodded and stepped off to go tell the owner.

A few minutes after, Levi came out, mumbling under his breath, “who the fuck is Mr. Jeager?”. But when he came out of his office and looked at the brunette sitting on the same table he had sat a couple of days ago, Levi’s eye twitched in annoyance. He went over to the table and sat in front of the brat.

“Let me guess, you’re Mr. Jeager,”

“The one and only,” Eren said, smiling and taking a sip of his drink.

“Thank god for that. If there were more of you I don’t think the world would survive with so much stupidity walking around,” Levi said, crossing his legs and resting his arm on top of the booth.

Eren stared at him and stuck out his tongue at the insult. Levi only rolled his eyes at the childish act.

“Now, why did you call me here? Was it to just waste my time?”

“No, I wanted to see if you were still alive,”

“I told you, I wasn’t going to kill myself that night. I was just sitting down,”

“Levi, you can keep saying that but I won’t believe you. That bridge is not known for people sitting down on it,” Levi rolled his eyes at the answer onceagain. This kid was going to make him roll his eyes out of his sockets. He decided to not answer that.

He watched as Eren pulled out a Calculus textbook and a notebook. Levi decided to stay sitting there for a little bit. He was already finished with all the paperwork he had for today so he wasn’t really missing out on anything. He needed a break, anyway. He motioned for Christa to make him a cup of his usual tea and she nodded, used to the man’s silent gestures. Soon after the tea arrived, Levi noticed Eren’s scrunched up face as he gripped his hair. He was staring intently at his Calculus book, flipping through the pages desperately.

"Are you ok? You look constipated." Levi said as he put his tea cup on the table.

“It's just these math problems." Eren said before looking up to see Levi take a sip of his drink. He noticed how Levi picked up his tea cup by the rim instead of by the handle.

“How can you drink like that? Isn’t it uncomfortable?” Eren asked, noting how Levi’s hand would bump with his nose every time he would take a drink.

“It keeps the steam out of my face,” Levi explained, looking like he had answered the same question a million times. Eren was about to ask more about it because he just couldn’t get having such a weird habit when Levi pulled the book from his hands to see the problems.

"Tch, those are easy,” he said.

“Oh, and you know Calculus?” Eren mocked.

“Of course I do. Not only am I intelligent, I took it before I dropped out of college,”

“You dropped out of college?” Eren asked, surprised at the thought.

“Yeah, I had a business to run,” Levi answered.

“True,” Eren said, acknowledging that if Levi had this then he didn’t really need to finish college in the first place.

“Wait a minute,” Eren said suddenly, “how old are you?”

“Yeah, like I’m going to tell you,” Levi huffed, taking another sip of his tea.

“Are you going to make me figure it out like you did with your name?” Eren asked, leaning back on the booth and crossing his arms at the male. He watched Levi smirk and shrug.

“I’ll take that as a challenge,” Eren warned, also taking a sip from his own drink. Levi only stared at him, not looking very threatened about Eren’s intentions but noticing his determination and drive. If there was anything Levi could admire, it’s that.

“Say,” Eren said after a moment or two of silence, “if you know so much about Calculus, like you claim, why don’t you tutor me?” Levi scowled.

“And be forced to spend more time with you? Hell no,”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a baby. I’m a treat to spend time with,”

“I don’t know if you have ever spent time with yourself but trust me, you’re no treat,” Levi said, finishing his cup of tea and wiping his lips with the napkin. He motioned to stand up but Eren grabbed his wrist from across the table.

“Please?” Eren said, staring at Levi pleadingly. 

“No,” Levi stood his ground.

“Pretty please! I need this class for my major! Just help me and I’ll never mention that night ever again,” Levi considered it. The semester ended in a couple of weeks and he really could use the younger’s promise to never mention that night again. He sighed, knowing he was going to regret this later.

"Tch, only until the semester ends. After that, you’re on your own. And if I ever hear you breathe a word of that night I’ll wear your skin as a coat. Do you understand?” Levi gave me a sharp but warning look.

"Y-yes sir." Levi took the book and looked at the thick book.

"Ok, so all you have to do is find the integral of that,”

"Yeah, I got that but how am I supposed to find the integral?”

“U-substitution, dumbass,” Levi replied, pretty sure that was the way to solve it, unless they had suddenly changed math since he was in college.

“Oh! That’s right! I remember my teacher talking about ‘U’ something,” Levi rolled his eyes and pointed to an example problem that showed how to solve using the technique. Eren looked and nodded, understanding what to do.

"Oh. Well, that makes a lot more sense. Thank you Levi."

“Hm,” Levi answered, watching the brunette solve the problem.

The afternoon went on like that. Levi cussing at Eren for being so utterly dumb and Eren telling Levi he should really write a curse word dictionary because he had never heard half those words in his life. It was no doubt that the tutoring session had brought them close enough that Levi could actually tolerate Eren’s presence. And even Levi noticed the change in opinion because that day he realized that maybe he didn’t hate Eren’s laugh _that_ much…or at all, really.


	4. I Know More Than You Think

Levi walked into the coffee shop for the day and immediately regretted it. Erwin was sitingwith Hanji in one of the booths. He felt a little pang in his chest to see them together without him.They had been inseparable since high school until…it happened. He started to grow apart from them because they were giving him space. It was a long time since it had happened though and he missed his friends, even if his pride would never let him admit it.

"Levi." Hanji called, urging him to the table.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed and unwilling.

"We want to talk to you,” Hanji said as she pointed to the seat in front of her, signaling him to sit down.

"I have some paperwork to do right now,” Levi said, beginning to walk away.

“Levi, you can finish it some other time…please,” Erwin pleaded, looking at him intently.

Levi sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get out of this.

“What is it?” Levi asked, sitting in front of Hanji, fighting the urge to stand up and leave.

“We just want to know how you’ve been,” the blonde answered.

“I’m fine. Everything happened a long time ago. I’m fine,”

“Levi, time does not always guarantee healing,” Hanji said, looking at him with that worried look she had pasted on her face ever since the accident. Before Levi could open his mouth to speak, Hanji spoke again.

“We want to be there for you. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked like friends. We miss you,”

Levi didn’t know what to do. He also missed them but he will never be able to tell them. He missed their Sunday brunches and the way Hanji dragged him and Erwin into silly and compromising situations. She was like the glue of the group and never failed to lift everyone’s spirits. As annoying as she was, Levi did miss her.

“Hanji,” Levi said, passing a hand through his hair, “you guys haven’t talked to me, haven’t asked me to hang out in ages. I thought—”

“Before you continue,” Hanji interrupted, “don’t think that we stopped being friends with you because of what happened. We just thought that giving you space was the best thing to do. We don’t want you to think that what happened made us think anything negative about you,” Hanji explained, gripping Erwin’s hand under the table as Levi watched him with a steel gaze.

“Yeah, well if you guys were truly my friends you would know that I didn’t need time alone… I was already alone enough,” Levi gritted through his teeth, forcing the words out because they needed to be said. He moved to get up but Erwin grabbed his wrist, pain and desperation clear in his eyes.

“Levi, we’re sorry. We never meant to make you feel alone or unwanted. We never thought that something like that would happen. We just thought you needed some time to process everything and deal with the past,”

“Yeah, well I’m over it,”

“Don’t be like that, Levi. We never meant to—” Hanji said but was interrupted by the damn shop bell. All three of them moved their eyes to the door. Levi rolled his eyes at the sight.

“S-sorry, are you guys open?” Eren asked, smiling sheepishly.

“Not for you we’re not,” Levi growled, standing up and walking towards his office, shutting the door with a bang. Eren flinched at the sound before looking at the couple siting in the booth.

“Oh! Ms. Zoe! I didn’t know you were here,” he greeted the woman.

“Good morning, Eren. Here for a cup of coffee before class?”

“Uh, yeah. Morning classes were a big mistake,” Hanji laughed at the reply before she watched as he moved to the counter to order his drink. Eren kept glancing behind Haru at Levi’s closed door, wondering why the elder was in a pissy mood so early in the morning.He would ask him later in the afternoon after class. He couldn’t believe he was stupid enough to think he could handle morning classes.

He got his coffee and waved goodbye to Hanji, telling her he would see her later.

“How do you know that kid?” Erwin asked her curiously.

“He’s in my Bio 1 course at the university. Why?”

“I think I’ve seen him before but I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Christa perked up at Erwin’s words. She moved towards their table and offered her help.

“I saw him here all afternoon with Mr. Ackerman the other day. They were sitting in a booth, talking…and I think Mr. Ackerman was helping him with his homework? I could be wrong though, but I caught a couple of words about integrals and other stuff I didn’t understand,” Erwin and Hanji looked at each other before thanking the girl, who happily went back to her post behind the counter.

“So they know each other. That’s…interesting,” Erwin said, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

“I wonder how,” Hanji muttered before deciding that she would just ask Eren herself after class this afternoon.

***

Soon after Eren’s class had ended, Hanji asked him to stay behind in a very mysterious manner that made Eren very nervous. He stood in front of her desk, shifting his weight from foot to foot and holding his bag so tight his knuckles were turning white.

“Oh, Eren don’t look so scared. This has nothing to do with your grades or anything like that,” the woman laughed lightly, trying to ease Eren’s worries.

“Then what is it about?”

“It’s something rather personal. Do you mind?”

“Depends on what it’s about,”

“It’s about Levi,”

“Oh,” Eren said, shoulders tensing up a bit.

“I just want to know how you two met each other, that’s all,” she said, sensing his discomfort. Her eyes were watching Eren so closely he was sure she could hear the sound of his heart and feel the speed of his pulse. He decided not to lie…too much.

“We met on Titan Bridge a couple of weeks ago. We bumped into each other in the dark while walking. We ended up walking together to his house. I didn’t see him for a couple of weeks until I found out he owns that coffee shop,”

“Is he tutoring you in anything?” Hanji asked straightforwardly and Eren was taken aback at the fact that she knew that information.

“Uh, yeah. I’m having some trouble with calculus so he helped me,”

“Hmmm, so you would say that you guys get along since he is willing to offer you his help,”

“I don’t know if I want to agree to that. I enjoy Levi’s company, yes. But I doubt he enjoys mine,” Eren said, embarrassed at the thought.

“Oh, Eren, honey, don’t think that. If he was nice enough to sit with you and tutor you then he at least tolerates you…which is more than I can say for me or Erwin,” she said, her voice becoming a little lower and sadder. Eren suddenly felt guilty for even bringing the subject up.

“Erwin is the blonde guy that was next to you this morning?” Eren asked cautiously, not wanting to come off as nosy. At Hanji’s slow nod, Eren saw how sad she looked, how disconnected she felt.

“Is everything okay between you guys?” Eren asked, gripping his bag once again from the nerves.

“No. Levi and I have known each other for a very long time but recently he has been pushing us away,” Eren nodded at her answer. He knew she only told him the bare minimum for a reason. She was silently telling him that the other details weren’t hers to share.

Soon after Eren asked Hanji a key question, he said goodbye to his professor and made his way to the coffee shop. He had some things he needed to find out.

***

When Eren arrived at the coffee shop, he decided to hang out there for a little while before coaxing the information he needed out of Levi. He really liked the mood of the place. It was small, cosy, and very aesthetic. Everything matched perfectly and nothing seemed out of place. The soothing music they played relaxed Eren and allowed him to concentrate way better than when he was at home. He begun to think he had just found his study place.

The truth was that Eren came to the shop for the surprisingly good coffee and the comfortable atmosphere, but he stayed for Levi. Ever since he had met the elder at that bridge he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him. Even for those weeks when he hadn’t seen or heard a single trace of the raven, he was constantly in Eren’s mind. He just had such a weird and unique attitude. He always made it very clear when he didn’t like something and never hesitated to put people in their place. The man was brutally honest and Eren liked that. There was a lot of things Eren could let slip but lying wasn’t one of them. Besides, Eren liked the way Levi always tried to maintain a poker face because it made it that much better when Eren was able to break it. He loved when he saw the corners of Levi’s lips quirking up, itching to show a smile but being held back. It was rather funny to see the shorter male stifle laughs and chuckles to just smirks and snorts. Eren liked that, he liked that a lot.

Right when Eren was sitting in his usual booth, daydreaming about making Levi fully smile one day, the said man walked out of his office to take his afternoon tea. When he made his cup, he made his way back to his office but took notice of Eren staring into the distance. He sighed and went to go see the brat. His brain stopped him midway, asking why he was so eager to talk to the brat anyway. Levi thought his inner self brought up a good point. Why _was_ he interested in talking to Eren? He had talked to the brat for what was maybe 4 times and he still couldn't believe the boy hadn’t bored him to death yet. Levi had to give him credit, though. Eren _was_ smarter than he looked and could keep up with Levi’s insults almost effortlessly. He also didn’t seem scared of Levi, maybe a little intimidated sometimes when he was threatened, but Levi doubted the feeling will stay after he’s threatened a couple of more times.

“Mr. Ackerman, I don’t want to be rude but you’re standing in the middle of the work station and it’s kind of hard to get around you,” the new boy Haru snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Tch,” he said before deciding that a little light banter with Eren wouldn’t hurt. It was way better to drink tea relaxed than at the office next to all that paperwork.

“You would think brats like you would come in here to study and get some work done but no, instead they sit there and drool all over my tables,” Levi commented, sitting across from Eren like he had done last time. He chuckled lightly when the brunette snapped out of his daze and put his fingers to his lips to check if he really was drooling.

“Great! You’re here. I was just about to ask for you,”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Levi said, knowing that if Eren was going to ask for him it would be for something annoying and not just a casual conversation.

“No! Wait!” Eren said, grabbing the man’s wrist before he could stand up. Levi stared at Eren’s hand on his wrist and glared at it so hard that Eren quickly pulled it away, afraid that the gaze would pierce a hole in his skin.

“Can I just ask you something?” Eren tried, silently pleading Levi with his eyes. Levi mentally cursed at being so weak and falling into the obvious trap. He battled with his inner thoughts for a bit, debating whether he should give in. But when he stared into Eren’s eyes that looked so soft and desperate and were obscured with a little bit on brown hair that was falling on the eyelids, he decided nothing could be so bad that it outweighed the sight in front of him.

“Depends on what it is,”

“What’s the deal with you, Ms. Zoe, and Erwin?”

At the names, Levi narrowed his eyes at Eren. He knew Hanji worked at the university but he didn’t think Eren would have her as a teacher. He was wrong and now he regretted leaving the three of them alone in the morning when Eren had walked in and he had stormed into his office.

“That is none of your business, you little shit. What did Four-Eyes tell you?” Levi hissed.

“She didn’t say anything. She just mentioned that you are being distant and cold to her,” Eren said and Levi replied that he was distant and cold to everyone. Eren had stared at him with aknowing look that said _you know what I mean_.

“Listen, Levi, from what I know, Erwin and Ms. Zoe are the only friends you have. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to but take my advice and talk to your friends. Whether it was you that fucked up or them, you have to make the first move. You’re the prideful, stubborn part of the group and the apology or forgiveness must come from you.Don’t let whatever happened between you to cause a rift. Friends are the family you get to choose. Don’t choose incorrectly,” Eren said, staring at Levi’s eyes the whole time in a steady and subtly reprimanding tone. The surprise in Levi’s face due to the maturity and wisdom Eren just demonstrated didn’t come unnoticed to the younger. But as good as Eren’s intentions were, Levi couldn’t help but be annoyed at being lectured by a goddamn child.

“Oh, and Mr. I’m-in-college-with-no-worries-in-the-world-and-perfect-friendships here knows so much about relationships, doesn’t he?” Levi spat, watching Eren’s face closely to see the effect of his harsh words.

“I’m telling you what I know. You can lash out all you want. Just because I’m younger than you doesn’t mean I’m ignorant or naive. Age doesn’t determine personality or intelligence, experience does, and I’ve had plenty,” Eren said calmly, not even flinching at Levi’s glare. Levi guessed Eren was acting like this, so unfazed and confident, because he knew he was right.

“You know what? Fuck you,” Levi said before standing up and leaving to his office.

Eren remained in his seat, knowing that he maybe offended the elder but also knowing that he was right. He had only known Levi for maybe a couple of weeks and had interacted with him on few occasions but he felt like he knew the raven. He knew that he had a dark past and struggled with it to this day. Besides, Eren got that feeling that Levi and him weren’t so different and their situations were definitely similar. He sighed and went back to his homework. Levi would get over it…hopefully.

Meanwhile, Levi was fuming in his office. He never expected Eren to act like that, to say those things. He always thought the younger was foolish, childish, immature. But now he was forced to realize that Eren was smarter than he had previously thought, that he could be serious when the situation called for it. He was forced to look upon a mature and experienced version of Eren, one he never thought even existed.

He knew deep down that Eren was right. He knew that he was being overdramatic about Erwin and Hanji. Yes, they had left him to his own devices when the accident happened but only because they thought it was what he needed. He couldn’t really blame them for thinking that Levi wanted to be alone. He always complains about socializing and having to talk to boring people. It only made sense. He also acknowledged that Eren was right in the fact that he had to make the first move. When there is a fight between the group it only gets resolved when Levi either (hesitantly) apologizes or he forgives.These were his best friends, people he has known since high school and through his punk phase. They had remained with him through practically his entire life. Was he really going to let all that go?

He cursed the brat for being so right. What could that kid have gone through that he knew about all this? He wanted to know but knew better than to ask. He had a suspicion Eren would only tell if Levi returned the favor and the raven was not ready for that. They had known each other for only a couple of weeks. The most Eren knew about him was his name, his job, and his close friends. He didn’t even know Levi’s age or where he was from or even how many languages he spoke.

As if on cue, a knock sounded on his door and he stopped his pacing to glare at it. It opened and Nanaba (yes, the one that had mono) walked in, holding a folded piece of paper.

“A customer left this for you. He said his name was Eren,” she said, offering Levi the paper, who pulled it rather harshly out of her fingers. The blonde squeaked a little before quickly leaving the office. He ripped the note open and as soon as he saw what was inside, he crumpled it in his hands and huffed in anger and annoyance.

On the paper, there was a single number and what Levi could only assume was a drawing of a winky face.

_31 ;)_


	5. One Down One To Go

Eren had walked out of the coffee shop that day with the biggest smile on his face. He thought the note was a pretty clever idea. He hoped it showed Levi what he was trying to say: _I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to keep learning things about you. You might as well tell me them yourself instead of making me figure them out._

Levi was a smart man, he would get the message. If seeing his own age on that paper didn’t let him see that Eren was interested in learning about him then Eren would have to tell him to his face. He just hoped that Levi wouldn’t be as stubborn as Eren and would just give in. The brunette just wanted to get to know the elder. He wanted to help him and be friends with him. Was that too much to ask?

But Eren thought that it was a little too much to ask of someone like Levi, who was obviously a very reserved and private person. He didn’t look like very sociable and was definitely not keen on sharing information about himself. But Eren was never one to back down from a challenge.

***

Levi hadn’t talked to Eren for days since their little argument. Eren assumed it was because Levi was planning his murder and was making sure everything would go just right so he wouldn’t go to jail. And when Levi had walked out of his office, caught Eren’s eyes when he was sitting in his usual booth, and pointed to the inside of the office, Eren knew that day would be his last day. He gulped anxiously and walked over to the raven’s office. He stepped in quickly and watched as Levi went to sit at his desk.

For a while, Eren looked everywhere but at Levi, which allowed him to notice the bareness of the office. The walls were an eggshell white with nothing on them, not even one of those “determination” or “teamwork” posters that all of his high school classrooms had. All of the furniture was clean and even the paperwork on Levi’s desk was organized, which didn’t surprise Eren at all.

“Well? Sit down, I’m not going to bite your head off…on second thought, no promises,” Levi smirked and Eren took a seat cautiously. Eren continued to stare at Levi, silently asking why he was here.

“I wanted to see if you had the courage to tell me the same thing you told me a couple of days ago right here, where there aren’t any witnesses,” Levi challenged, leaning back on his chair and crossing his legs like he always did. Eren visibly paled but took a deep breath and sat upright, a knowing look appeared in his eyes like he had just realized something.

“I don’t see the need to repeat myself, Levi. What I said was clear and you know it. You asked me here because you want my advice on how to approach your problem,” Levi’s left eye twitched and his lips became thin, like he was holding back a growl. Eren smirked lightly, knowing that was the confirmation he needed. Levi was about to open his mouth to let out a string to curses but Eren stopped him.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone about this. It seems I’m pretty good at keeping your secrets,” Levi rolled his eyes at the younger’s comment but motioned for him to continue.

“Before I tell you what the best thing to do is, you should tell me what happened. I don’t want to mess up and give you bad advice,” Eren stared him and Levi knew he was at Eren’s mercy. If he didn’t open up to Eren, he wouldn’t be able to solve his problem. Levi sighed, pinching the bridge of hisnose and accepting his fate.

“Something happened between us. They apologized but I’m still upset about it. However, I’m willing to overlook that because I’ve known them too long. Happy, brat?” Levi said, visibly annoyed that he had to even do this.

“I see,” Eren smiled, thrilled that Levi had at least told him something, even if it was barely anything at all. Eren knew perfectly well that this would be a step by step situation and that breaking through Levi’s defenses wouldn’t be easy. But he was getting somewhere; he had just made a crack in the wall surrounding the elder.

“It’s simple what you have to do, Levi. Just go and accept their apology”—Levi nodded, the younger’s words confirming what he already thought he had to do—“and apologize to them for being irrational,” Levi immediately glared at the brat.

“No fucking way. I did nothing wrong,”

“You know that’s not true. I don’t know what your argument was about but I saw Ms. Zoe and she looked pretty hurt that you were giving them the cold shoulder. You don’t have to give them the apology of a lifetime and get down on your knees. Just mutter a sorry and be done with it. I know Ms. Zoe would greatly appreciate it,” Eren explained, gaining the courage to say everything the more he talked.

For a while there was silence in the office as Levi considered the possibility of even saying all of that to Hanji and Erwin. He decided that he really had no choice and that he would have to do it. Still, he preferred if he met up with them both at the same time, that way he only had to say it once.

“Fine,” Levi said through his gritted teeth, hating the look of satisfaction on Eren’s face. Eren opened his mouth to tease Levi but he was interrupted when there was a knock on Levi’s door.

“I swear to god, this office has turned into a fucking common room. People keep knocking on my door and coming in as they please,” Levi muttered before the door opened and Erwin walked in.

“Levi, I was looking over these”—he looked up from the files in his hands to see Eren on the seat Erwin usually occupied when he talked business with Levi—“papers.”

The blonde quickly closed the yellow file and put his hand out to Eren.

“Hello, I don’t believe we’ve formally met. You’re Eren, right?” Eren quickly took the man’s hand and stifled a yelp at the firm handshake.

“Yes, you saw me when I walked in the other day but I never introduced myself. I apologize,” Eren said and Erwin told him not to worry about it. Suddenly the small office seemed even smaller now that there were three grown men in it. Eren took that as his cue to leave.He smirked at Levi mischievously and the raven looked at him cautiously, knowing exactly what the look preceded.

“Speaking of apologies, I believe Levi has something very important to tell you,”

“Is that so?” Erwin said, curious to see what Levi could possible have to say that he needed an introduction from Eren first.

“No, I don’t have anything to say right now,” Levi glared mercilessly at Eren, but Eren knew who had the upper hand here.

“Yes, you do,” Eren firmly said before looking over to Erwin and telling him to pester Levi about it until the elder said what he needed to say. Before Levi could rip his head off with his mind, Eren excused himself and walked out of the office.

***

Eren had waited outside Levi’s office for what seemed like ages. He didn’t try to hear the conversation or anything, he was only waiting to see how the raven would feel after the encounter. When he heard Erwin opening the door, he quickly ran back to his booth, pretending to be reading something in his textbook. He noticed that the textbook was upside down and quickly rotated it before anyone could notice. Erwin looked at him from Levi’s office and smiled lightly, tilting his head to the door, signaling him that he should go in. Eren nodded and made his way back to Levi’s office.

“Sooooo,” Eren said, popping his head in before walking inside, “that’s one down, one to go!”

“You’re the shittiest brat I’ve ever met. You’re lucky everything went well or I would have wrung your little neck,” Levi hissed, organizing the papers on his desk. Eren ignored his threat and smiled widely.

“I assumed everything went well considering I didn’t hear any yelling from where I was,” Eren said, emphasizing that he was most definitely not eavesdropping. Levi hummed at his comment, it really had gone well.

“Well? How do you feel now?”

“I would say relieved,” Levi said because he really was. Eren was right, one down and one to go. Soon he would have his full group of friends again. Something inside him, though, told him that his friend group will get a little bigger soon.

***

The next day, Levi was the university, standing right in front of Hanji’s classroom and waiting for her class to end so he could go in and talk to her. He kept glancing at his watch anxiously, trying to remember if Erwin told him that her class ended at 11 or 11:30. He sure hoped it was 11 because if he had to wait 30 minutes outside a classroom he was going to leave and text the woman an apology. His question was answered though, when people started to come out of the door and disperse around the school. He waited outside for a couple of minutes to make sure everyone had filtered out of the classroom. Finally, when he saw that a couple of minutes had passed since the last of the students came out, he grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. Immediately he crashed against someone with so much force that they hit the floor together. Levi groaned at the weight on top of him and at the bump he surely gained at the back of his head. He opened his eyes to see the face of the idiot he would be killing today. But instead, he opened his eyes to see the same eyes that have been engraved in his mind for the past four weeks. They were wide, full of surprise and curiosity. He felt Eren’s breath on his cheeks and suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that their bodies were touching.

"Get off me you filthy brat,” Levi said, snapping Eren out of his daze.

_“_ Oh shit! Sorry, Levi. I didn't expect anyone to be in the halls, _”_ Eren apologized as he brushed off the inexistent dust. When he was done he offered his hand to Levi, who hesitantly took it. He was surprised of how little effort it took for Eren to lift him up.

Eren knelt down to pick up the Biology book he had dropped in the fall. When he picked it up and rose, Hanji was standing in the doorway staring at the couple.

"I didn't know you were coming to visit, Levi." Hanji said, a creepy yet amused smile plastered on her face.

Levi stared right back at her with an expressionless face.

“I need to talk to you,” he said, moving towards the door to walk into the classroom. Hanji nodded and moved to walk inside.

“Levi, wait!” Eren said and Levi stared at him curiously but told Hanji that he would meet her inside the classroom. Hanji desperately wanted to see what they possibly had to talk about but she decided to let it go. Once she was inside, Eren turned to Levi and began talking.

“Tell me how it goes?”

“Why?” Levi grimaced and Eren rolled his eyes at the stupid question.

“Because I want to know,”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll tell you at the shop later,”

“Actually, I can’t go by the shop today. I have some plans with friends. I’ll give you my number so you can text me about it,” Eren said, pulling out a piece of paper that was in his textbook to write but then suddenly stopped.

“You know what? Give me yours instead,” Eren said, pulling out his phone to give it to Levi. The elder moved away.

“What? Definitely not,”

“Come on, Levi! I know that if I give you my number you won’t text me and I’ll be left all curious and worried. If you give me your number I can guarantee that you will remember to tell me,” Eren said, urging the elder.

“Why can’t you just wait until the next time you go to the coffee shop?” Levi said, a little surprised that Eren could tell he wasn’t the type to text first. _What is with this brat and his ability to read me so well?_ , Levi thought.

“Because I need to know as soon as it happens,”

“Why do you care so much?”

“Because you’re my friend and I care about you. Are you going to give me your phone number or will I have to figure it out like I did with your name and age. You know how effective I am in getting information, Levi. Save me the trouble,” Eren said, pushing his phone into Levi’s hand so he could add his phone number as a contact.

Levi spent a lot of time holding the phone in his hand, thinking. On one side he was completely shocked to hear that Eren thought of him as his friend when they had only known each other for a couple of weeks. On the other hand, he could see how the younger would see him as more than just the owner of his favorite coffee place. They already knew the basics about each other and Eren was now helping Levi with an important problem, offering his help and advice, like friends do. Not to mention the strong pull and attraction they had between them. Levi felt it: the need to always talk to Eren when he was nearby, the insistent urge to tease him and make him smile. The warm feelings of content and satisfaction that spread within him whenever Eren laughed or replied to Levi’s insults with his own was something the elder really couldn’t ignore. Of course Levi would never admit this but he could at least acknowledge it to himself now that Eren had shown that he felt the pull too.

Levi finally gave in, knowing very well that whether he gave Eren his phone number or not, Eren will end up having it somehow. There was a traitor among his friends who was feeding Eren his information because there was no way the younger just guessed his age exactly. He was pretty sure Eren’s source was Hanji and he couldn’t believe that he had chosen a friend with such loose lips. He had typed in his number in Eren’s contacts but left the name blank because Eren just looked like the type to add nicknames and emojis into contact profiles instead of just regular names.

Levi handed the phone back to Eren and at seeing Eren’s wide smile, he thought that maybe he didn’t regret giving the number to the brat after all. Soon after, Eren waved goodbye and walked away. With no one around, Levi let a small smile cross his face for a millisecond before he walked into the classroom to talk to Hanji.


	6. Even It Is

Predictably, Eren texted Levi an hour after he had left the university, asking how it went.

_It was fine, brat._

_Great! You’re welcome!_

_Yeah, yeah. Whatever._

_You’re not even going to thank me?_

_No, we are even._

_How?_

_I help you with your math problem and you helped me with this. Even._

_Alright, fine. But I told you I was right._

_Be quiet or I’ll shove my foot up your ass, shit for brains._

_Is that your only insult? I gotta say, Levi, you’re losing your touch._

_You’re mighty brave behind a screen, huh?_

_Pretty sure everyone is_

_You and all the other teenagers of the world._

_It’s the way of the new world. Accept it or get left behind_

_I’ll stay behind, thanks._

_You’re such an ass_

_And you’re an idiot_

_Touche_

Eren decided to end the conversation there, mostly because he was still hanging out with friends and he didn’t want to raise any suspicions. He wasn’t embarrassed of being Levi’s friend or anything, but he decided to keep something to himself for once. He didn’t know if he was ready to be interrogated by Mikasa and lectured by Armin. He enjoyed what he had with Levi and he had a strong suspicion that his friends would find it weird that he was friends with a man 11 years older than him. He didn’t see anything wrong with it but he knew how overprotective his friends were of him after the accident with his mom.

He sighed, shaking the memory from his head. It wasn’t the time to think about that right now. He decided to rejoin the conversation in the table to get his mind off things. He was glad Levi was back on good terms with Erwin and Ms. Zoe, because as Eren looked around the table at his close group of friends, he couldn’t be more grateful for them.

Right as Eren was with his friends, Hanji invited herself and Erwin into Levi’s apartment. He had opened the door reluctantly, knowing only one person in the world had such an obnoxious knock. As soon as he opened the door, Hanji burst in, smiling widely and yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Get ready Levi! We’re about to get SCHWASTED!” She held up two brand new vodka bottles in her hands while Erwin shook his head and presented a bottle of Margarita mix and tequila.

They weren’t much for music and partying, not anymore. But they enjoyed each other’s company and preferred to just hang out and drink rather than spend the night dancing. After two shots of vodka and one margarita (which Levi will never admit to liking, ever), Levi was buzzed enough to forget to stifle chuckles and hold back smirks.

“Soooo,” Hanji said, plopping down on the couch after making he fourth (?) margarita of the afternoon, “what’s the deal with you and Eren?”

“I’m not drunk enough to answer that,” Levi answered.

“Don’t make me get you drunk enough,” Hanji warned, taking a sip of the margarita. Levi took a moment to consider his options. He could either remain only lightly buzzed and control what he said or get drunk enough to let anything slip. The choice was obvious.

“Fine,” Levi huffed, making his annoyance plainly visible, “what do you want to know?”

“What kind of relationship do you guys have?”

“I guess you could say that we’re friends. We talk to each other and tolerate each other’s company,”

“You? With a friend? I find that hard to believe,” Erwin said teasingly, causing Levi to glare at him briefly.

“I’m perfectly capable of making friends, caterpillar eyebrows,”

“He was the one that got you to talk to us, right?” Hanji asked and watched as Levi hesitated for a brief moment.

“Yes,” Hanji nodded at the answer.

“I thought so. You would have taken a lot longer to make the first move if you had decided to yourself,” At this, Erwin mentioned how Eren had to push him to apologize to him a couple of days ago at Levi’s office.

“I’m glad you made a new friend, Levi…it makes it a lot easier to say what we will say now,” Hanji said, eyeing Erwin.

“What, we’re doing this now?” Erwin asked as Levi looked a them in wonder.

“Yes, now,” Hanji said while having a silent argument with Erwin.

“Can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on?” Levi asked, growing a little annoyed at being left out of the loop. Suddenly, he got his answer when Hanji took Erwin’s hand and cuddled close to him. Before Levi was finished registering what just happened, Hanji explained.

“We’re together…we’ve been dating for a while now,” Levi just remained staring at them, his wide eyes the only indication of his surprise.

“It started a couple of months after the…accident. We grew close together since we were trying to give you space and then… it just happened,” Erwin said, getting a little nervous that Levi wasn’t saying anything. After a couple of minutes (years, if Erwin and Hanji were being honest) Levi sighed, passed a hand through his hair and smirked.

“About time,” was all he said before getting up and going to prepare himself another margarita that he definitely did not like. Hanji and Erwin stared at each other incredulously for a little while before getting up to follow Levi into the kitchen.

“What do you mean?” Hanji asked.

“As in you guys have been flirting with each other since senior year of high school. Maybe you guys didn’t realize it but I definitely did. It was gross,” Levi grimaced at the memories before drinking half his drink in one gulp.

“We did not!”

“Oh, you definitely did. Only those in love are clueless about it. But don’t worry about it, I don’t mind that you guys are together. I’m…glad,” Levi confessed.

“O-kay, that’s enough drinking for tonight. You’re getting sentimental,” Erwin said, taking the drink out of Levi’s hand and leaving it on the counter.

“Whatever. I don’t see what this has to do with Eren, though.” Levi said, making his way back to the living room to sit down. Erwin and Hanji obviously followed.

“Well, Erwin and I will be spending more time together…alone, and we won’t want you to feel left out! If you have another friend, like Eren, you can spend time with him when we can’t,” Hanji explained but Levi only rolled his eyes at the reason.

“Hanji, I don’t need to replace you guys with anyone. I’m perfectly happy being by myself,”

“Okay, but for the days when you don’t want to be alone and we aren’t available, you have options,” Erwin backed Hanji up and Levi only nodded in acceptance because he wanted to dismiss the topic completely. He knew perfectly well that if he ever did meet up with the brat outside the coffee shop, it would be because Levi wanted to be with him, not because his friends were unavailable.


	7. Come With Me

It was precisely three weeks after Levi’s conversation with Hanji and Erwin that he found himself making plans with Eren. He had been helping the brat out with his math homework most of the weeks and he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. He noticed that he liked his afternoon tea even more when he drank it while talking to Eren. The brunette was just so energetic and…funny, even if it was only by accident and had nothing to do with his “jokes”. He was also extremely interesting as a person and Levi couldn’t quite pinpoint why. Maybe it was his stubbornness or determination, or maybe his incessantly positive attitude. Levi didn’t know exactly what it was or if it was a mixture of all those things, but he enjoyed a great deal of it. He found himself talking about Eren more than he would like to admit. It started out with only small mentions of a comment the brat said or a complaint about Eren’s stupidity, but it quickly morphed into retelling the younger’s stories and anecdotes to Erwin and Hanji. Levi’s friends didn’t dare mention anything, but they thought the same thing: Levi was right, only those in love are clueless about it.

So one sunny afternoon, when Eren had given up on his homework because it was “Friday, damn it”, he asked Levi out. Well, almost.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

“I”m busy,” Levi said immediately.

“Doing what?” Eren asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“None of your business,”

“Oh, come on. I know for a fact you don’t have any plans tomorrow night,”

“You do?” Levi asked, but realizing as his friend group _did_ contain a spy, he found no use in denying it, “Ah, you do.”

“Yes, I do, so please save yourself the breath. I have two tickets to the fair,” Eren said, pulling out said tickets from his backpack, smiling so brightly Levi needed to squint his eyes.

“No way. I hate the fair. It’s always way too crowded and the rides are almost definitely defective,”

“First of all, no one goes to the fair for the rides. Everyone goes for the food. Second of all, those rides are up to every code. I’ve never had an accident,”

“There’s the defectiveness. If it worked correctly it would have broken your leg or something,” Levi said, smirking at Eren’s very realistic act of feigning offense. That’s the dynamic they had now. Levi would insult Eren playfully while the other would either shoot an insult right back or pretend to be offended and hurt. It usually led to Eren laughing.

“Leviiiii! I have these two tickets already and I’d hate to waste them!” Eren whined, begging the elder.

“Why don’t you take someone else then?”

“Because all my friends are busy!” Eren lied. His friends wouldn’t hesitate to go with him, but he had been meaning to spend some time with Levi outside of the small coffee place.

“Pleaseeeee,” Eren pleaded, pulling out the signature move that had never once failed him: the puppy eyes and the pout. When Levi looked at the younger his face was completely expressionless but after a couple of minutes, he finally cracked.

“Fuck! Fine,” Eren smiled brightly at the answer.

“Great! Pick you up tomorrow at 8:00?”

“I don’t like cars. I’ll walk there,”

“No, it’s okay! I’ll meet up with you at your place and we’ll walk there together,” Eren suggested and Levi nodded.

“It’s a date then!” Eren smiled but Levi didn’t answer to the comment, not confirming it but not denying it either.

***

The next day Levi was surprised to find himself extremely nervous. He was sitting on his bed staring at his closet wondering what the hell he was going to wear. It was already December so he knew he had to wear something to keep him warm , but what exactly? After thirty minutes of just staring listlessly at his closet he finally decided to rummage through he clothes to pick an outfit. Levi wasn’t one to care about what people thought but he liked to look good. In the end he decided [on](https://i.styleoholic.com/2018/12/a-black-tee-black-skinnies-plum-colored-boots-a-burgundy-coat-with-white-fur-for-a-relaxed-look.jpg) his favorite black jeans, a plain black long sleeve, the boots that Hanji had given him for his birthday last year, and a dark red coat for a pop of color. It was a little unlike him to wear such an outfit, but he really didn’t want to make it seem like he was going to a funeral. He then decided to move on to his hair. He never really liked using gel or other hair products. He often settled for just brushing it to put the loose strands in their place. It was exactly when he was brushing his hair that he heard a knock at his door. He frowned and looked at his watch, it was already eight and he hadn’t even noticed.

He went to open the door and Eren was standing there, staring at his feet. At the sound of the door opening though, his face rose and he smiled at Levi in the most heartwarming way that it had the raven considering just leaving the coat at home. Eren’s [outfit](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/51/9e/8c/519e8c0b47ed56cc5d62a89a19977b57.jpg) also didn’t help slow Levi’s heart. The younger wore regular jeans with a white cable knit sweater that fit his body a little too well. On top, he wore a gray tweed coat and a fleece scarf that just tied everything together perfectly.

“Are you ready to go?” Eren asked, breaking the silence because Levi had been staring at him for, like, 3 minutes now.

“Um, yeah. Let me just get my keys and phone and stuff,” Levi said, snapping out of his daze and moving to grab his things.

“I hope you noticed I was right on time. I figured you’d be one of those people who don’t tolerate tardiness,”

“You guessed right, brat. People these days have no concept of time,” Levi said, walking towards his door and stepping outside. Eren moved out of the way but his hand brushed briefly across his lower back. The man cursed under his breath as he closed and locked the door. Levi was almost positive he was coming down with something because he was feeling very off.

On their walk they were forced to huddle a little close together due to the amount of people in the street. Although it was cold, Levi didn’t really notice. He simply listened to Eren, who was talking endlessly about his day (but Levi didn’t mind that).

“And it’s just crazy, you know? I’ve known Jean and Marco my whole life! I never thought they ever had anything for each other. It’s kind of weird,” Eren said, turning to look at what Levi had to say about the situation.

“Why is it weird? Do you have something against gays?” Levi asked a little bitterly but Eren failed to notice that because as soon as the words came out of his mouth Eren began laughing.

“It would be ironic if I did. No, no, that’s not what I mean,” Eren explained after muffling his laugh, “it’s just weird to see your two friends become something more than that, you know? Like, now when we all hang out together they will be all lovey-dovey and that’s not how I used to see them before,”

“I know what you mean. Erwin and Hanji are dating now,”

“They are?!” Eren asked, stopping in the middle of the street. Levi stopped a little ahead when he noticed and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes, walking back to where Eren was standing. There were less people in the street in this section of the city and so it wasn’t troublesome to be standing there.

“Yes, so I understand. It’s weird seeing that they’re not just friends anymore. You’ll get used to it, though,” Levi said, nudging his head to the side, signaling to continue walking. Eren followed him, still surprised.

“But still! I guess I’m also a little weirded out because it won’t be the same anymore. It will be me and everyone else and then Jean and Marco. They have their own thing now and live in their own little world. I can’t help but think we will start to feel left out,” Eren explained, saying everything he felt since Jean had broken the news to the group that morning. Everyone seemed so happy for them that he was afraid to talk about it with any of them. It was moments like these when he was most glad to have Levi as a friend. He was something new, something different. Besides, he could always be counted on to say the truth.

“Yes, that’s a valid thing to worry about but if you ever do feel like they’re excluding the group, just tell them about it. If they’re considerate, they will act like normal around you guys and leave all the PDA and gross stuff for when they go on dates. If they don’t, just confront them and say “you guys are gross” and that’s it,” Levi advised, knowing a little about it now that he had been around Hanji and Erwin since they told him.

“Hm, I guess. Hopefully it won’t be necessary,” Eren said and Levi nodded.

When they finally arrived at the Fair Levi remembered that he had never quite been in one before. He had always heard about it and seen it but he had never been inside or in any of the rides. He suddenly wondered if this was a good idea.

“Nervous?” Eren said, grinning at the fact that Levi could be scared about a little carnival ride.

“As if,” Levi huffed, now more nervous that Eren could read him like that.

“Aw, Levi don’t worry. I’ll protect you!” Eren said and did the most unthinkable thing. He put his arm around Levi’s shoulder and pushed him against Eren. Levi’s side made contact with Eren’s as the brunette gripped Levi’s shoulder. It was for a split second, only done to emphasize the protecting part of Eren’s comment but to Levi it felt like it was all in slow motion. Just as quickly as it happened, Eren dropped his hand from Levi’s shoulder and moved away, only to smile brightly at Levi before leading him inside.

 _Yep, this was definitely a mistake_ , Levi thought before being dragged inside by his date.


	8. Free Me

As soon as they walked in, Eren grinned widely with excitement, seeing all the fun rides, the beautiful lights, and hearing the upbeat music. Levi, on the other hand, only saw death machines, obnoxious flashes, and heard deafening music, if you can even call it music in the first place.

There was one thing in particular that Levi seemed to notice the most: trash. So much trash, he felt like he was inside a dumpster. Papers, wrappers, napkins, pieces of food, and the occasional shoe were all littered around the floor.

  
"C'mon!" Eren said before he grabbed Levi's hand and pulled him into the sea of people.

"Where do you want to go first?" Eren asked, grinning from ear to ear. His fists were clenched and in front of his chest, his body jumping up and down slightly. He looked like a child during his first time attending...well, a carnival. Levi had to admit that Eren did look pretty cute.

"I don't care,” he said, looking around, trying to see exactly what he should watch out for.

"Fine, but don’t complain later,” Eren responded and grabbed his hand to, once again, lead him towards the crowd of people. Finally, after walking around for a while, they stopped at a short line. When Levi looked at the ride they were waiting to go in, his stomach dropped a bit. It was a giant boat that just rocked forwards and backwards. It seemed to be going at a reasonable speed but he knew better than anyone that it would feel a lot faster once on it.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of waiting, they mounted the ride and Levi was just about ready to shit himself. He wasn’t afraid of heights or bugs or anything most people would fear, but he was at least a little afraid of dying. That is why he knew that no matter how determined he was that night, he really _was_ just sitting on the bridge.

Levi noticed that there was only a seatbelt and a hand rail to hold on to. He was now one hundred percent sure he was going to die there. He sat down anyway, maintaining a straight face. When Eren sat next to him, he stared at Levi for a while, just looking at his side profile. Levi didn’t notice, a bit caught up in trying to remember the last time he updated his will. While Eren was no detective, he could tell Levi was a little nervous. He looked paler than usual, his jaw was clenched tightly, his shoulders remained tense and squared. The last tell tale sign Eren needed was Levi’s constant tapping of his foot. It bounced up and down incessantly. Eren felt a little guilty for forcing the elder into his favorite ride without really asking for his opinion.

“Do you want to get off?” Eren asked but knew that Levi didn’t hear him. The music coming from below was loud and the sound of people settling inside the ride echoed throughout the ship. Eren decided to lean in close to Levi and whisper in his ear so he could know if the man was okay.

“Are you good? We can get off if you want,” Eren whispered, his soft and soothing voice reaching Levi’s ear, snapping him out of his daze. Levi turned to Eren, forcing their faces to be extremely close since Eren had already leaned in. Levi’s eyes involuntarily wandered to Eren’s lips but he quickly snapped them back up, closing them and shaking his head.

“I’m fine, brat. It’s just a ride,” Levi lied right through his teeth, but he wasn’t worried. His expressionless face always let him get away with things like these. Eren didn’t seemed convinced though. Instead, he put his hand on top of Levi’s and he leaned in again.

“It’s going to be okay,” Eren whispered and the ride rumbled to life. Levi tensed even more when it started to move. It was slow at first, gaining momentum, but then it quickly started to swing back and forth quicker than Levi expected. Every time the boat would go down and swing up, he would slide a little in his seat, even if his hands were gripping the railing. He watched as the boat swung back and forth and the motion made him want to vomit.

“Close your eyes,”

“Definitely not,” Levi said, gripping the railing even tighter because the boat was somehow gaining even more speed.

“Levi, trust me. Close your eyes,” Levi thought for a second and decided to just do it. It really couldn’t be worse than this. As soon as he closed his eyes, everything felt better. He only felt the wind on his face, the motion of the boat. The blinding lights were gone, the heads and faces of the people in front of him disappeared. He only registered the cold wind flowing through his hair and the swift motion of the boat. He instantly felt better, he felt like…

“It feels like you’re flying, right?” Eren whispered against his ear again and Levi could only vaguely register what he had said. He nodded, his eyes still closed, but his hand loosening on the railing. Eren took note and carefully reached for Levi’s hands.

“Put them up,” he commanded and Levi followed suit. They looked like two idiots with their eyes closed and their arms up in the air. The feeling was incredible. It did in fact feel like they had wings and were flying. The wind, the motion. It was enough. Levi only needed to imagine a blue sky in front of him.For the first time he felt a bit of what he's always wanted: freedom.

Eren opened his eyes just to sneak a peek at the elder male. Eren smiled lightly, seeing as Levi’s face looked the calmest he had ever seen. His hair moved back and forth with the ride, sometimes hitting his face and placing a sharp contrast between the whiteness of his skin and the darkness of his locks. What made Eren smile even more though, was the small smile Levi had forgotten to cover up. In his state of bliss, Levi allowed a smile to slip past his defenses. It was small and only barely there, but Eren noticed it. He counted his challenge completed. Next goal: making Levi laugh.

Too soon the ride ended and everyone stepped off. Eren was laughing but Levi still remained expressionless. He felt a rush of adrenaline after the ride. He wanted to take a run and just keep going until his heart stopped. He was so full with energy he wondered if this is what Eren felt all the time.

“So? Wasn’t it awesome?!”

“It was alright,” Levi answered but Eren huffed, knowing Levi was lying. He saw how Levi looked once he let himself go and submitted to his feelings. He had really enjoyed it.

Levi finally looked up at Eren to make eye contact with him and his lips quirked up a little at the sight. Due to the ride’s motion, Eren’s hair was incredibly disheveled. Clearly, he had not brushed it down with his fingers when he got off the ride like Levi had done.

“Brat, your hair is all over the place. Fix it. My OCD is acting up,” Levi said and watched as Eren passed his fingers through his hair in an attempt to smooth it out. He looked at Levi, asking him silently if it was okay now. Levi shook his head and Eren tried again but he was not even getting close to the spots on his head where his hair was standing up in weird angles. Levi’s patience finally wore thin.

  
“Oh my god, how can you be so incompetent? Come here,” Levi demanded and Eren obeyed. He had to lean down a little to reach Levi’s height but it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

Levi reached for Eren's head and tried to smooth out his hair. Regardless of how soft Eren's hair was, it was pretty rebellious. Levi took a step closer towards Eren to calm the disobedient hair. Eren blushed when he saw how close they were standing. He got even redder when he watched Levi biting his lip because he was trying to get rid of a knot in Eren's hair.

“Uh, thanks,” Eren said when Levi finished, pulling away and standing straight.

“You should really invest in a brush or something so you can carry it around. Your hair gets knotted very easily,”

“I’ll think about it,” Eren said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

They walked around for a little while more, just taking in everything. They were on their way to a Lemonade stand to get something to drink when Eren spotted a tent with a large sign at the front. He smiled mischievously before turning to Levi.

“Levi, I didn’t know you were making a guest appearance here!” Levi looked at him with a raised eyebrow, silently asking him what he was talking about. Eren only smiled and pointed at the tent. The purple and orange stripes gave him the urge to vomit but what he noticed was the sign at the front. It read “Shortest man alive inside! Entry: $3”. Levi looked back at the younger, glared, and kicked him in the shin. Eren only laughed before yelping at the injury.

They finally reached the lemonade stand after walking a little farther. Actually, Levi walked; Eren limped.` He asked Levi if he wanted one but the male just said he preferred water and _bottled_ water because he “didn’t trust these filthy people”, as he had said. After they got their drinks, they began to walk again, but Levi was starting to get a little annoyed at the amount of people. It was later now so it was more crowded. The music seemed to have gotten louder and the lights were now almost blinding.

Suddenly, Eren stopped in his tracks with his drink in his hand. Levi stopped and stared at him.

“What’s wrong?” Levi asked. Eren just looked down at his drink. He had apparently opened the top of the cup now and was looking inside. When Levi followed his line of vision, he snorted and covered his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing. Inside Eren’s cup was just water, ice, and one whole uncut lemon floating above.

“They call this a lemonade? I paid five dollars for this!” Eren said before shaking his head and breaking into a fit of laughter. At hearing Eren laugh, Levi’s eyes couldn’t help but wander from the cup to the man holding it. Suddenly, all the people walking around them disappeared. The music vanished and the lights dimmed. All he saw was Eren, the only music he heard was Eren’s laugh, and the only thing that was bright and flashing was Eren’s perfect teeth.

For the second time that night, Levi allowed a genuine smile to show on his lips.


	9. Say My Name

"Ok so where do you want to go next?" Eren asked, throwing away his “lemonade”.

"Wherever you want, brat." Eren nodded and decided that they should probably eat something. He finally decided to eat his two favorite foods when going to the fair: corn on the cob and Elephant ears.

At first, Levi wondered how good corn on the cob could really be but Eren told him to just wait and see. Once again, Eren bought them their food, two buttered corns with salt and garlic powder on top. As soon as Levi tried it, he took everything back. It wasa little greasy and messy to eat but Eren had made sure to bring plenty of napkins for cleaning up.

“And now for dessert,” Eren smiled, grabbing Levi's hand and tangling their fingers together. Levi took note of the gesture and planned to remove his hand but Eren was quick to pull the older towards a small grey booth with a big sign that said: "Elephant Ears".

_What the actual fuck?,_ Levi thought.

"Two elephant ears, please." Eren ordered and the tall, buff man inside the booth nodded.

"What the hell is an elephant ear?” Levi asked, pulling his fingers away from Eren and definitely not missing the warmth he had just given up.

"Calm down, Levi, its a snack, not a real elephant, Dumbo." Eren said, grinning at his own pun.

"Ha ha ha. So funny that I'm shitting my pants." Levi said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Eren didn't seem to catch the ghost smile on Levi's lips.

"Here you go sir." The buff man handed Eren the food and Eren gave him the money, murmuring a 'Thanks'.

They sat down on the wooden tables after Levi poured some of his left over water on some napkins and wiped them down the best he could. Levi hadn't touched his food because Eren was staring at him a bit creepily.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"I'm waiting for you to try it." Eren encouraged. Levi looked skeptically at the so called 'elephant ear' before taking a bite.

It was sweet and sugary, mostly because of all the powdered sugar on top. It was really just a very sweet fried dough. Levi wasn’t one for desserts but he knew this definitely wasn’t his favorite one. Still, he decided to eat some more because it wasn’t horrible and Eren had already paid for it.

Levi breathed out of his nose while taking another bite and all the powdered sugar flew everywhere, especially on hisface.

Levi put the ear down and huffed in annoyance. Eren didn't even try to stifle his laughter, as usual. He threw his head back, clutching his stomach. Levi glared at him, waiting for him to finish.

Eren's laughter diminished and he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"You have a bit of..." Eren said and pointed to his whole face.

"You think?" Levi asked. He took a napkin and wiped his face.

"You still have some..." Levi wiped his face again but the napkin didn't reach his chin.

Eren reached over the table, grabbed Levi's chin and wiped off the powder with the napkin he stole from Levi. Never in his life had Levi gone through something as embarrassing as this, so fighting off the blush that was creeping up to his face was rather difficult. Finally, after what felt like hours, Eren pulled back and smiled at Levi so innocently that Levi was sure Eren had no idea what he was doing to him. Then Eren just started to eat his snack like nothing happened and Levi could't help but do the same.

***

After a couple of more rides and walking around, Eren finally thought it was getting late and they should probably head home. Of course, before doing that Eren knew they had to do the best part of the fair.

“Okay, it’s getting late so let’s go on the last ride of the night,” he said and Levi agreed, following Eren closely as to not get lost in the sea of people.

As soon as they arrived at the line, Levi knew this would be a mistake. He looked up at the Ferris Wheel and just _knew_ he was stuck in some romantic comedy because this was the cheesiest thing he had ever done. 

“You can’t be serious,” Levi said, staring at the long ass line.

“It’s going to be great! We’ll get to see the whole city from up there!” Eren said but then looked at Levi worryingly. 

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” he asked and Levi huffed at the mere question, which was enough for Eren. They stood in the line for while since the Ferris Wheel was always a big attraction. It wasn’t too bad since conversation between the two always came easily and it was never boring, if Eren’s constant laughing was any indication.

They finally got on the little cart after waiting for over half an hour. Luckily, they were the last boarded and had a whole cart to themselves. Eren was positively bouncing at the fact and Levi was obviously rolling his eyes at the childishness of the younger. They sat down and the wheel immediately began to move. Levi held tightly to the thing nearest to him, which happened to be Eren’s hand.

“Ow, ow,” Eren whined, making Levi notice he was squeezing Eren’s hand too tightly. He muttered an apology and drew his hand away. The cart creaked a bit, which didn't calm Levi down at all.

"It's fine, relax,” Eren said when he took notice of Levi tensing up like he had on the pirate ship.

"Wow, so beautiful!" Eren snapped him out of his thoughts and Levi didn't hesitate to agree with him when he saw the view. It was truly fascinating. All around him there were shining lights, all of different colors and various amounts of brightness. They all mixed together seamlessly, making a river of color, almost like a painting. The stars combined with the lights and made Levi's whole perspective of the Fair change completely. He looked down and saw how tiny people looked down there. Once again, being so high up and with the wind blowing through his hair, Levi felt so free.

Eren saw the same as Levi, but looked at one star Levi couldn’t see. As the elder stared outside and admired the view, Eren looked at the view right next to him, the one he never thought he needed. All the lights of the fair shined on Levi’s fair face like a kaleidoscope and Eren couldn’t help but stare it intensely. This star right here had more brightness and potential that it believed. But that was okay because Eren believed for him and he would make sure the star knew it. 

Levi finally noticed Eren staring and looked at him. Eren smiled shyly and Levi allowed himself to return the gesture. Without noticing, Levi moved closer to Eren and stared into his eyes. He couldn’t help it. His eyes were just so mesmerizing and captivating. It was as if Eren had a whole little world inside those eyes, a universe Levi couldn’t help but want to observe over and over again. The same eyes he was looking at hooded a little and Levi found himself leaning in, slowly. He saw as Eren’s eyes closed completely and he allowed his own to do the same. Just as their noses brushed together slightly, a sound of someone clearing their throat made them jump away from each other.

“Uh, the ride is over,” the man running the control said, blushing a little at catching them about to kiss. Levi was the first to get out, extremely embarrassed but refusing to show it. He walked out with Eren close at his heels. The walk home was awkward at best.

***

“Soooo, did you have a good night?” Eren said, shuffling his feet while waiting for Levi to unlock his door. It was the first thing the brunette had said for a while.

“I hate to say this, but yes, I did have a good night,” Levi admitted and Eren’s eyes shot up to look at him in surprise before grinning widely.

“I’m glad,” Eren said, the smile sill on his face.

“Thank you, Eren,” Levi said before walking inside his house and shutting the door. Eren stared at he door for a while, surprised and overjoyed. Levi had called him by his name.

***

Eren unlocked the door to his house to find Mikasa sitting on the sofa, glaring at him.

"Where the fuck have you been?!” asked Mikasa, standing up to stomp towards Eren, “I came home from work to an empty house and a stupid sticky note on the fridge telling me you left without saying where you were or when you would get back. How am I supposed to know if you’re okay or if you’re dead in a ditch somewhere?!”

“Mikasa, I went out to the fair with a friend. And as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. Not dead and not in a ditch,”

“Who is this friend? Is it someone I know? You could have at least let me know beforehand. I was worried sick!”

“You need to stop treating me like a kid, like I can’t take care of myself. I’m an adult, Mikasa! If I want to go out with some friends and come back at one in the morning I can! This isn’t the first time I come home late. You’re just mad it wasn’t with you,” Eren yelled back because he was really starting to explode with the pent up anger at Mikasa’s overprotectiveness.

“I do this because I care about you! I don’t want anything to happen to you!” Mikasa explained, her voice now lower.

“You can’t protect me from everything, Mika. You know that no matter how much you baby me I’ll still make mistakes and get hurt somehow. Stop trying to control my life,” Eren said as nicely and delicately as he could. He had wanted to say this to his sister for a long time now and he was relieved that he could finally get it off his chest. He saw her deflate, burying her face in her scarf.

“Mika, it’s not that I don’t want you to worry about me or take care of me,” he explained, pulling her into a hug, “I just want you to understand that I have to be able to do what I want without having you with me 24/7.”

After a couple of minutes, Mikasa pulled back and stared at him.

“Okay, but just please let me know where you are next time. And if you’re going to say late, text me to let me know. You have a phone for a reason,” Mikasa said and Eren nodded. They hugged again and went to bed. Eren felt better that night than he had in years.


	10. Mistletoes Are Bad Luck

A week later, Eren was too busy with finals to go to the coffee shop. Even though the place was the best for relaxing and concentrating, Eren knew he wouldn’t be able to get anything done with Levi in front of him, even if he was just drinking his tea. The elder was just too distracting, so they didn’t see each other until Eren had finished with all his finals.

When Eren turned in his Biology final, Hanji told him to wait a bit after class to talk to him.

“So, I heard that you and Levi are close,” Hanji mentioned and Eren nodded, “well, Erwin and I would like to invite you to Levi’s birthday party next week. His birthday is actually on Christmas day but we have to celebrate it the day before because Erwin and I are spending Christmas with my parents.”

“Oh,” Eren said, his eyes a little wide in surprise. Levi hadn’t even told him that his birthday was coming up, much less the exact date.

“I’m really flattered but I’m sure Levi would like to spend the day with you guys instead,” Eren said, really not wanting to intrude.

“Oh, Eren, don’t be so silly. Levi told us all about your date to the fair and we’re sure he’d love to have you there,” Hanji said but Eren remained skeptical.

“I don’t even know what gift to give him,” Eren blurted out but he knew that it was a shitty excuse.

“Just get him something you think he would like,” Hanji said and didn’t let him say anything more, “I’ll see you next Friday at 7pm at Levi’s place. I assume you already know where that is,” Hanji winked before walking out of her own classroom.

***

“You didn’t tell me your birthday was on Christmas!” Eren burst into Levi’s office right after he had arrived at he shop that day. Haru, Christa, and Nanaba had seen him here enough times to let him through without any questions.

Levi looked up from his papers, a little annoyed.

“I didn’t think it was important,” Levi said calmly and Eren could almost burst.

“What do you mean?! Now I only have a week to get you a gift!”

“You don’t have to get me anything, brat. I’m not one to celebrate my birthday too much,” Levi said, already moving back to his papers. Eren slumped on the seat in front of him.

“But I have to! We’re friends! What do you want?”

“For you to leave me alone and let me work,” Levi said and Eren rolled his eyes. He knew he would have to find something himself because Levi would never help him. So he pulled out his phone and started to shop for things Levi might like. He knew Levi didn’t like many things so he decided to limit his searches to cravats and tea. After a couple of minutes of not finding anything, he decided to leave his search for another time.

“What are you doing for your birthday anyway?” Eren asked. He knew Hanji had probably already told him about his birthday party but Eren referred to what he would do on his actual birthday.

“Probably nothing,” Levi answered, not taking his eyes off the papers on his desk.

“Do you want to do something together?” Eren asked, knowing that he didn’t have plans either. Mikasa worked holidays every year because it always gave extra money and most of his friends actually had a family to spend Christmas with.

“Depends on what,” Levi answered, looking at Eren curiously.

“Well, most places close during the holidays and I’d hate to be one of those people that show up on Christmas Day. Maybe we can just walk around, maybe go to a park?” Eren suggested.

“In December?” Levi asked.

“It will be great! The snow will make everything really pretty!” Eren defended and Levi decided to give in. He really didn’t have anything else to do. Eren smiled brightly at Levi before singing a “See you then!” and walking out. Levi rolled his eyes and fought back a smile.

***

Levi’s birthday party rolled around rather quickly. With Mikasa working and his friends busy with their families and vacation, they had had a small gathering a week before to exchange gifts and spend time together before they all left for the holidays. Eren had received a very nice green button up from Mikasa, who said it brought out his eyes, which is definitely not why he was wearing it to Levi’s party now. Armin had gifted him a Star Wars mug that would light up when hot drinks were added to it. It was this gift that inspired the gift he bought for Levi. On his way to the party, he held it in his hands tightly, hoping the elder would like it.

He knocked on the door, wrapping his black coat around him a little tighter. After a minute or two, Levi opened the door and seemed a bit surprised.

“What are you doing here, brat?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Hanji invited me to your party!” Eren said, trying to sneak a look inside to see if Hanji could back him up.

“Of course she did. Well, come in, I guess,” Levi said and rolled his eyes like he was annoyed. Eren walked in and took in the sight. He had never been inside Levi’s house but he wasn’t surprised to see how clean it was. Predictably all the furniture was classy and matched very well with the room. The white walls contrasted with the slickblack furniture in a very beautiful way. Eren couldn’t help but stare. The only thing that seemed out of place were the decorations that looked like they were hung lazily and last minute, which Eren thought they probably were since Levi isn’t the type for decorations but Hanji definitely was.

“Where’s your Christmas tree?” Eren asked, looking around curiously and taking off his coat. Levi took it from him and put it on the coat hanger next to the door. When he looked back at Eren, he stared openly at him. The brunette was wearing a [green](https://tshop.r10s.com/343/209/7c1f/880f/2077/b6c2/fe2c/116ce7afce2c600c737667.jpg) button up that only brought even more attention to his eyes. It didn’t simply bring out his eyes, it made it impossible to stare at anything else. At the sound of Hanji’s voice, Levi tore his eyes away from Eren.

“Levi doesn’t put one because he’s boring,” Hanji said, walking in to see who had knocked.

“I don’t put one up because it always makes a mess in my living room and takes up too much space,” Levi defended, closing the door behind Eren.

“You know they sell small ones too right?” Eren said and Hanji beamed at the suggestion, looking at Levi to see what he would say.

“I know but still, there’s no point,” Levi said and Eren looked like he was about to argue with him but Levi simply walked away.

“Here, Eren, let me take your gift. I’ll put it here on the table with ours. Thank you so much for coming. Sorry I didn’t tell Levi, I thought it would be a nice surprise,” Hanji said, taking the gift from Eren’s hands. Eren nodded at her answer, not minding that Levi didn’t know. He thought it was funny how surprised Levi had looked upon opening the door.

The party mostly consisted of the four of them talking and drinking some wine Erwin had brought. Eren thought it best not to mention that he was actually only 20 years old and therefore underaged. He was turning 21 in March anyways, which was only a couple of months away so he decided not to mention it. Despite the fact that they were only talking, Eren was having a great time. Erwin and Hanji were very fun to be around and they always spoke of funny things Levi did when he was younger.

“You kidnapped someone?!” Eren said, mouth wide open in surprise.

“I didn’t kidnap someone. I kidnapped a _friend._ It was part of a practical joke _,_ ” Levi said, waving his hand nonchalantly.

“What?! You took someone away without their permission! That’s still kidnapping!” Eren said and watched as Levi rolled his eyes.

“I was in high school. I didn’t know any better,”

“Okay, but when I was in high school I went to parties and got shitfaced. I didn’t kidnap people!”

“Eh, to each their own,” Levi said, waving the subject away and leaving Eren with a million questions on the tip of his tongue.

“Okay!” Hanji said, also waving the subject aside, “time to open the presents!”

Hanji went to the table and brought out all the gifts, which were only three. She sat them down on top of Levi, who huffed in annoyance at their weight.

“Open mine first!” she said, pushing the gift bag into Levi’s face until he grabbed it. Levi pulled out the colorful gift papers inside before reaching inside the bag. He pulled out…a [beret](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1125707774992703490/mQdk2jsD_400x400.jpg)?

“Hanji, what the fuck?”

“It’s a beret! You _are_ French, Levi. You can pull it off,” Hanji said, smiling so widely Eren thought her face would split. “Put it on!” Hanji said and Levi shook his head adamantly.

“I’d rather cut off my left toe,” Levi said and Hanji pouted. She looked at Eren sadly before winking. Eren stared at her, confused, but she didn’t explain herself.

“Open mine now,” Erwin said, pointing at the smallest box wrapped in Rudolph wrapping paper. Levi ripped open the paper to hold a small black velvet box. Before opening it, he stared at Erwin curiously.

“You’re not proposing to me, are you?” Levi asked and Erwin only laughed and shook his head, telling him to open it instead of saying such dumb things.

Levi finally opened it and revealed a silver ring with a dazzling dark blue stone on top. For a second, Eren did think Erwin was proposing to Levi but then Levi spoke.

“My ring. I lost this ages ago—how?” Levi said, not taking his eyes off the ring.

“I had it remade for you a couple of months ago. Hanji and I were going over our old pictures and we saw you with it. I thought you would like to have it back,” Erwin said. Levi only continued to stare at the ring like it wasn’t even real. Eren knew that the ring must have some kind of sentimental value for Levi to treasure it so much. He decided not to bring it up in front of everyone. He would ask Levi later.

“Thank you,” Levi said, his voice a little quiet as he slipped it into his right middle finger. Erwin nodded and smiled at Hanji, knowing he did well. After a couple of minutes of silence, Eren cleared his throat.

“Now I feel bad going after that amazing gift, Erwin,” Eren said jokingly, making Levi notice the last box on his lap. At the mention of the gift, Levi picked it up and began to unwrap it. Once he took off the wrapping paper, he opened the box and pulled out a black [mug](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uLMakqb6L._AC_SX522_.jpg) with white writing on it. He read it silently and then chuckled lowly before glaring at Eren. The brunette only grinned and scratched the back of his head.

“What does it say?” Hanji said, craning her neck to read what the mug said.

“It says ‘Life is short and so am I’,” Levi said, still looking at Eren intensely. Hanji and Erwin burst into laughter as Eren smiled nervously at Levi. The elder man just let the corners of his lips pull into a small smile, letting Eren know that he liked it. At the sight, Eren beamed happily, grinning like he had just won the lottery, and he had, seeing asLevi actually smiling was almost like a lottery in its own way.

“I dare say, Eren, that gift is better than mine,” Erwin joked once his laughter died down. Levi moved to glare at him instead.

The rest of the night was great. It was just all of them talking once again, getting a little more drunk than necessary. They laughed and told stories for a while. Even Eren put in some stories of his own since Erwin and Hanji insisted on getting to know him better. After a while, Eren looked at the time and said he should really get home before his sister freaked out. As Eren went to go get his coat, Hanji encouraged Levi to go walk him out since he _was_ the host. Levi grumbled but knew she was right. He stood up from the couch to go see the brat out.

“Thank you for having me, Levi. I enjoyed this a lot,” Eren said, putting on his coat. Levi nodded at the brat, showing that he was also glad to have him there even though he hadn’t planned to.

“Oh, and don’t forget about tomorrow. I’ll pass by at around 11 to pick you up?” Eren asked and Levi nodded. He hadn’t forgotten about his birthday with Eren but was glad that the brunette had mentioned it. They stood next to the coatrack for a second, just kind of staring at each other.

“Oh, my, would you look at that, Erwin? Is that a mistletoe I see?” Hanji said, interrupting them. Both Eren and Levi looked up to see the plant there, clearly hanging over them. They wondered how they didn’t notice it before. Immediately, Eren blushed furiously while Levi rolled his eyes.

“Four eyes, you really go all out with your last minute decorations, huh?” Levi said, annoyed that he had to deal with this.

“You know I’m the best,” Hanji answered, leaning against Erwin, who put his arm around her.

“Ignore her, Eren, we don’t have to,” Levi said, already moving to open the door for him.

“Yes, you do! You’ll get bad luck if you don’t!” Hanji said, insisting on it.

“That’s not a thing,” Levi shot back, looking to his side to glare at Hanji. They fought back and forth, arguing about the issue. Eren only stared at Levi’s side profile as he talked to Hanji. Then, Eren bent down and planted a swift and soft kiss against Levi’s cheek. The elder stopped mid sentence before whipping his face to look at Eren.

“Thank you for having me! Merry Christmas!” Eren said quickly to Erwin and Hanji before opening the door and rushing out. Levi stayed right where he was, staring at where Eren used to be before snapping out of his daze and facing his so called friends. They looked just as shocked as him, staring at the closed door like it had just tap danced by itself.

“Not a word of this to anyone—ever,” Levi growled before both Erwin and Hanji burst into laughter once again. Levi pushed past them to go to the kitchen and make himself a cup of tea. He grabbed the mug Eren had given him from the coffee table in the living room to wash it. He put the water in the kettle and let it boil. When he joined his friends on the couch again, his brand new mug was in his hand but Erwin and Hanji didn’t say anything.


	11. Picnics and...Cemeteries?

The next day, Eren showed up at Levi’s door on time again. The clock had just struck 11 when Levi heard a knock at his door. He chuckled at the punctuality of the brat, knowing he was probably never like this but did it just for Levi. Levi knew he should probably not spend the day with Eren now that his feelings were growing a little beyond friendship. He wasn’t sure when he had realized it. Maybe it was during one of those days they spend together in the shop, or during the Ferris Wheel ride, or maybe just yesterday when Eren had given him the funniest gift he had ever gotten (that same gift sat in his drying rack since it had just been used). But he couldn’t help it. He wanted to see Eren’s lush brown hair fall messily on his forehead, see how the corner of his eyes crinkled when he grinned widely, hear his boisterous and contagious laugh. He wanted to feel the warmth Eren’s body radiated and the stupid jokes the brunette told.

_God, I feel like a teenager_ , Levi thought. He never thought this would happen. When he had met Eren he thought the younger was annoying and nosey, but now that he got to know him he saw who Eren truly was. He was the kind of person that had a lot of friends, the kind that cared about the people close to him and would do anything for them. He was ambitious, determined, hard headed, and good under pressure. He was never the type to give up but always one to encourage people and lighten the mood when it was necessary. He wasn’t as intelligent as most people but he was a fast learner and knew more than he let on. But Levi probably liked one thing most of all about Eren and it was probably the fact that Eren brought out the best in him. He always made Levi feel comfortable, warm, liked, and appreciated. He never failed to make Levi smirk or smile slightly, almost like it was his mission to do so. And, for some reason, Eren made Levi feel so…accepted, almost like Eren didn’t know what was in Levi’s past but accepted Levi as he was anyway. He never pushed the elder to disclose anything but always showed empathy and understanding. Levi believed their pasts had more in common than they thought. And even if they didn’t, one thing was for sure: they understood each other in ways no one else had. When they were together, loneliness was only a thing of the past.

Levi sighed and shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. He moved to open the door and saw Eren standing there, shivering slightly with snow falling on his soft brown hair and even pooling on his shoulders. His cheeks and lips were incredibly red from the cold, highlighting his naturally tan skin in ways that worked wonders for Levi.

“I know, right? Talk about a white Christmas,” Eren said, thinking that Levi was staring at him because of the snow. Levi nodded, following along.

“Oh! Happy birthday by the way!” Eren said, smiling brightly and moving in for a hug. Levi didn’t know if he could take having the brat so close.

“If you even think about hugging me I’ll cut off your arms and use them as baseball bats,” Levi warned, moving away a little. He noticed how Eren’s face fell but tried to ignore it. The brunette pulled his hands away from his back, where they were resting, to move one forward and the other to scratch the back of his neck. Levi noticed that Eren always did that when he was embarrassed or nervous.

Levi looked at the hand Eren had pulled forward, it held a small wicker basket with a cover on top. Levi raised his eyebrow at Eren, silently asking him about it. Eren replied that it was a surprise.

Once they got to the park, they sat on one of the wooden benches with the basket in between them. Rosemaria wasn’t a city that got too cold in the winter but cold enough, so there were traces of snow but not mounds that would prevent cars from driving or people from walking. Besides, it was the first day it had snowed. The bench and the park were still slightly clear and clean.

Just like Levi had thought, there was food inside the basket. It was actually a mini picnic to be exact. Eren had brought small ham and cheese sandwiches, apple slices, some blocks of different types of cheeses, and tea in a thermos.

“I know it’s not the best time for a picnic, but I thought it would be a cute idea for your birthday. I hope you don’t mind,” Eren said, doing that little tick that showed he was embarrassed.

“I don’t mind at all, Eren. Thank you for doing this,” 

“Soooo,” Eren said, handing Levi a sandwich and a couple of apple slices, “the big three-two, huh?”

“Don’t remind me. I already feel my bones creaking,” Levi said and Eren laughed. There was no way Levi looked anywhere near 30, much less felt like it. Even though it was winter and it was common to wear multiple layers, Eren couldn’t miss the toned muscles of the elder. He definitely looked like the type to go to the gym at three in the morning.

“Chamomile? Really?” Levi asked after taking a sip of the tea Eren had brought.

“I didn’t know which type you liked and this one is the only one I know and can swallow without gagging,” Eren answered. A moment of silence ensued before Levi broke it.

“Black. I like black tea,”

“Of course you do. It’s bitter, just like you,” Eren said, making Levi scowl and sip his overly sweet tea in silence.

“But nice and tasteful once you get accustomed to it,” Eren continued, avoiding eye contact a bit. Levi smirked and hid his blush with his tea cup.

The rest of the picnic continued like that, just the two of them talking and enjoying each other’s company. More than once, Eren complimented Levi and more than once Levi pretended to hate it. None of them had talked about their almost kiss on the Ferris Wheel or their mistletoe kiss yesterday but they both had a mutual understanding to not mention it. It seemed like they both felt something, some kind of attraction and pull, that they didn’t quite understand and didn’t know how to deal with.

After Eren had packed the left over food of the picnic, he received a phone call. His ringtone was normal this time and Levi regretted that he couldn’t make fun of the brat again. Eren excused himself and answered.

“Hey, Mikasa, you on break?” Levi couldn’t hear anything coming from the other side this time but he did notice how Eren’s face fell a little while talking to his sister.

“I know. I’ll do it right now. I can’t believe I almost forgot. You’re sure you won’t be able to do it later? I can wait for you, you know?” Eren asked, biting his lip a little harshly. It made Levi want to pass his fingers over the bottom lip to make Eren stop.

“Yeah, I get it, don’t worry. Work is work. I’ll do it today and maybe we can go together again on New Years,” Levi frowned, wondering what he was talking about and why he looked so sad. The brunette finally hung up and stared at the ground for a little, still biting his lip and furrowing his eyebrows. Levi was about to ask what was wrong but Eren suddenly looked up at him.

“Hey, I’m sorry but can I make a quick detour before continuing our walk?” Eren asked and looked so distressed and sad that Levi just nodded and didn’t ask any questions. Eren led the way, carrying the basket and staying in complete silence. Levi was a little uncomfortable and uneasy. He had no idea what was going on or what had caused Eren’s demeanor to change. Levi only grew even more confused when Eren stopped by the street to buy a bouquet of flowers but didn’t offer them to Levi, showing that it wasn’t for him. He wondered where they could possibly be going.

“Oh,” Levi muttered unwillingly once they had arrived at the gates of the Rosemaria Cemetery.

“I know. I’m sorry, I just need to do this now since I won’t be able to do it later. You can wait out here if you want,” Eren said, not looking at Levi but at his shoes instead. He gripped the flowers tightly.

Levi reached out and took the basket Eren was holding on his left hand. He replaced it with his own hand, which was cold in comparison to Eren’s. The brunette finally looked at Levi, surprise and confusion evident on his face. Levi only stared back and nudged his head forward, showing that he was going in with him, that he would be there for him. Levi had only made the gesture because he knew that his words would fail him. After looking at Eren’s eyes, now a little dim and filled with an old sadness, he didn’t trust his words. Besides, he knew his pride would never let him get the words through. He had decided to let his completely expressionless face do the work, which he then realized posed a problem once he had made the gesture, but Eren understood it. Eren always understood him.

They walked inside together.

***

They finally reached two tombstones, both in pretty clean condition, which made Levi think that Eren came here frequently. One spelled Carla Jeager with the years of birth and death, and below that the phrase “A loving wife and mother”. Next to that one, was another that bore the name of Grisha Jeager, also with the birth and death year. Levi noticed that the difference in the two years of death was only six months, making Levi think Grisha’s death had something to do with Carla’s. Eren got the bouquet of flowers and pulled out half of them. He put one half on Carla’s grave and the other one on Grisha’s.

“They are my parents. They died when I was in my senior year of high school. I almost didn’t graduate,” Eren said, staring at the tombs. Levi didn’t pressure Eren to tell him anymore but when the younger continued talking he knew he was telling Levi to let everything out, to talk to _someone_ about it. He gripped Levi’s hand tighter and Levi squeezed back, reassuring him. In that moment, standing next to Eren in front of his dead parents as Eren told him his story, Levi felt closer to the younger than he ever had.

“My mom died in the earthquake that happened a couple of years ago. I don’t know if you remember, but it was pretty bad. The worst Rosemaria had seen in years. My dad was away on business and Mikasa and I were out of the house. I had just fought with my mom about my grades. She thought I wasn’t trying hard enough, wasn’t living up to my potential. I got upset, obviously, and stormed off. Mikasa followed me to make sure I didn’t get into any trouble, like always. We went to Armin’s house to cool off when it happened. It was terrible. It felt like the world was ripping itself apart. Things fell everywhere and the floors cracked. After it had passed we immediately ran home and…and,” Eren choked a little. He kneeled in front of the tombs and Levi followed suit, not caring that his pants would get dirty. He only thought about Eren. Levi frowned even more, rubbing his thumb across Eren’s hand to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

“And my mom was trapped under a part of our roof. The house was old and not very sturdy. A part of the living room roof fell on top of the table where she had taken cover. It crushed her upon impact. The last conversation I ever had with her was a stupid argument about grades. That’s why I try so hard in my classes now, even dumb ones I know I’ll never need, like Calculus. I want to live up to my potential, I want to make her proud,” Eren finished, sniffling a little and trying to subtly wipe his eyes. Levi scooted a little closer to him. Eren finally rose his head and looked at his father’s stone.

“And my dad. My dad wasn’t much help after Mom died. He lost his medical license after making a life threatening mistake during surgery. He was in a deep state of depression for months after Mom’s death until…. until he killed himself. Mikasa and I were left alone. Luckily, we were already eighteen years old so we didn’t need any legal guardians, but we still needed a way to put food on the table and pay the roof over our heads. Mikasa gave up her college education to get a job and support us both. I was going to get a job too but she insisted that I focus on my studies. The only reason we get by is because the lady that owns our house was close friends with my mom and allows us to live there for half the normal rent. It’s been a couple of years since then, but it’s still hard to stare at these stones and kneel on the ground that is probably directly above their caskets. It makes it so plainly obvious that they’re gone and that they’ll never come back.”

“At least you can come visit them whenever you want to, specially for their birthdays or holidays like these,” Levi said, a little more bitterly than he had intended but Eren didn’t seem to catch the tone. Instead, he stared at Levi curiously but the raven only shook his head.

“The point is, you have them here for when you need them. That’s good, that’s important,” Levi explained but knew that Eren wanted to know more. He looked away. He didn’t know if he could _let_ Eren know more.

“Levi,” Eren said sadly, pleadingly. It hurt Levi to hear such a broken tone. He weighed his options in his mind quickly. Eren had just opened up to him, about his past and his parents and the reason why he is the way he is. He told Levi everything, openly and without any fear of judgement or pity. He gave Levi the reasons for why his heart beats and was asking Levi to share his own rhythm. But Levi was afraid. He was scared that Eren would see Levi for what he truly was: a murderer. Eren would surely see Levi’s true colors and leave him. He would never go to the coffee shop again, never ask for help with his homework, or smile at Levi, or laugh, or insult him playfully. Levi will never again see Eren’s perfect teeth, feel his incredibly soft hair, gaze upon his gorgeous eyes. Levi will never get to find out what color they were.

But then again, this was the chance Levi needed to see if he should continue what he felt for Eren. There would be no point in allowing his feelings to grow stronger for the brunette if Eren didn’t accept him fully. This would allow him to know if him and Eren stood a chance. With this, Levi could get enough courage to make the first move or to reject the idea before his feelings grew past his control.

Levi’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, trying to make up his mind.

“Levi, please. Trust me,” Eren said again, pulling Levi’s face towards him with his fingers. Levi let himself be guided back to Eren. He stared into Eren’s worried and curious eyes. They were wide, bright, and full of more emotion than Levi thought eyes could ever express. He made his choice.

“Not here. Let’s go to my place,”


	12. Talk To Me

When they arrived at Levi’s place, their hands finally parted. They sat on the living room couch in complete silence. Eren was waiting for Levi to start and Levi was waiting to gather up enough courage to just let everything out. He had never really told the story to anyone except Hanji and Erwin, but that was many years ago. He could barely remember how he had done it. He took a deep breath and decided to just get it over with.

“I’m not from here. I was born in France from who knows who. I never met my parents. I was an orphan for most of my life. No matter how much younger I was than the other kids, or how many more interviews I got, I never really got chosen. It was only in my last year of middle school when I was finally adopted by a small family. They already had a daughter and wanted another child but couldn’t conceive. The girl was younger than me so it was like having a little sister. Her name was Petra,” Levi said, not looking at Eren at all, just staring at his feet. Eren scooted a little closer on the couch, staring at Levi intently, waiting for him to continue. When Eren saw that Levi was struggling to get the words out, he took Levi’s hand once again.

“You can open up to me. You can trust me,” Eren whispered quietly, giving Levi enough strength to continue.

“She was the cutest thing ever. She was always very sweet and kind. It was really no secret that she was the best part of my adoption and she was the main reason I felt like I had a family again. Even though she was a couple of years younger, we were close. We liked the same things and enjoyed talking to each other. Everything was perfect until my sophomore year in high school. Her parents were out to dinner for an anniversary or something, I don’t quite remember. Petra and I were home, just watching TV and talking. She then mentioned that she was craving her favorite food, cheesecake. I told her to just wait until tomorrow. It was already dark outside and I had only just gotten my driving license. She insisted and pleaded and just didn’t stop. I gave in and we got in the car and drove to the bakery she always enjoyed going to. I swear, to this day I don’t know how it happened, I didn’t see the car coming. The car crashed right against the front of ours. My airbag deployed but for some reason, Petra’s didn’t. She died upon impact, just like your mom. I still remember seeing her…” Levi stopped, the image of Petra’s body leaning against the glovebox, her head pushed upwards with a trail of blood coming from her mouth and nose all the way up to her strawberry blonde hair, coming to his mind clearly and vividly. Eren put his hand against his mouth to muffle a gasp at the story. He squeezed Levi’s hand once again and put his arm around Levi. Unconsciously, Levi leaned in. It was like he wasn’t really there. He was just reliving his past, his body here but his mind far away.

“Her dad, Kenny, obviously found out what happened and vouched to kill me for murdering his only daughter. He almost did kill me actually. If it weren’t for police in the scene of the crime, he would have strangled me to the death. After that, I took advantage of him and Petra’s mom being with the police to go back to the house. I packed up everything I could, I stole some money from where they kept it hidden and went to the airport. I hopped on the first flight that left that night, which was the flight here, to Rosemaria. I arrived, enrolled in a high school and got a…job to support myself. There is where I met Hanji and Erwin. We became friends immediately. We graduated, went to college for a bit before Erwin and I dropped out to run the coffee shop and Hanji became a professor,” Levi finally finished, sighing deeply like a grand weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Eren hugged him tighter and discreetly wiped away a tear before Levi could notice.

“I never went to her funeral or saw where she was buried. I haven’t gone to France since because I know for a fact Kenny will kill me if he saw me,”

“But it was so long ago and it wasn’t even your fault!” Eren said, pulling away slightly to look at Levi, but the elder would not raise his eyes.

“But it was. If I would have just insisted on staying home instead of letting her convince me to go maybe I could have saved her,” Levi explained bitterly. Eren frowned and grabbed Levi’s chin to force him to look into Eren’s eyes. Levi stared but didn’t say anything.

“Levi, I don’t blame you for that. Hanji and Erwin definitely don’t either. You’re not to blame for this. But I know that no matter how much I tell you and reassure you, you will think the same as before. I can’t change that but you should try to,” Eren said, not letting Levi look away because of his grip on his chin. They were silent for a little bit. It was just the two of them looking at each other, holding hands. Finally, Levi broke the silence because he couldn’t take it any longer.

“Do you blame yourself for your mom’s death too?”

“Of course I do,” Eren answered, his eyes drifting somewhere else, “If I hadn’t fought with her, I would have been home during the earthquake. I could have done something to help her.”

This was another thing they had in common. Guilt that ate away at them from the inside out. Guilt that bred shame and disappointment. Levi thought about what Eren must have been like after losing his mom, after the realization that it was his fault. It hurt him to think of Eren crying, to think of him as anything but the happy and energetic person that he was now.

“You know,” Eren suddenly said, “that’s kind of the reason we met.”

When Levi looked at Eren curiously, he delved into his explanation.

“Like I told you, after my mom died, my dad was in a really bad state. He killed himself a couple of months after mom’s death. He couldn’t take being without her. He…he threw himself off Titan Bridge. That’s why I was there that night. I like to walk around there in the night sometimes, just to watch out for people. I don’t want others to do what my dad did. I want people to give life a second chance,”

Immediately, Levi felt a pang at his chest. He had been there that night, treating Eren so horribly while the younger was only trying to save him.

“I’m…sorry,” Levi breathed, surprised that he had the strength to say something like that, “I…I had no idea. Look”—Levi brushed a hand through his hair—“ I know what it must have looked like, seeing me there on that bridge just casually sitting down. Since I’ve already been so honest with you, I might as well say it.”

Levi paused, Eren held his breath in anticipation. The elder took a deep breath and looked at the taller in the eyes.

“I _did_ go to the bridge that night with the intention to kill myself”—a flash of anger and hurt passed in Eren’s eyes but Levi squeezed his hand and continued—“ _however_ , once I got there I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it. As much as I wished to, I’m a natural fighter. I’m the kind of person who pushes through things and doesn’t give up because things have gotten difficult. I wish I was a simpler person. I wish I was brave enough to do something like that, but I'm not. So, even though I went there with the wrong intentions, I really _was_ just sitting on the bridge because I knew I would never be able to do it.”

Eren sighed, his eyes closing all the way. Levi thought it was to blink back the tears, but he didn’t mention anything. After what seemed like forever, Eren opened his eyes again and the hints of anger he saw before were gone. Something else that he couldn’t quite place remained there, swimming in the pools of green and blue.

“Now that I’m looking back at it,” Eren said, “I’m glad you were there that night. Whether you meant to jump off or not, doesn’t matter. The point is that you were there and we met. I’m happy about that. I’m happy that I saved you and helped you reconcile with Erwin and Ms. Zoe. I’m happy that all of that has gotten you to trust me and tell are all of this. I’m happy we have gotten close.”

Levi stared at Eren for a little while, just looking at the details of his face. Then, Eren smiled slightly. It wasn’t as bright or as beautiful as the other ones, but it was Eren’s. He looked away to avoid his eyes which was all Eren needed to see that Levi felt the same way. They stood in silence for a little while before Eren spoke again.

“Is the whole accident with Petra why you don’t like cars?” Levi nodded. He hadn’t gotten into another car since the _other_ accident.

“And your ring. Did Petra give you that?” Eren asked, and once again Levi nodded.

“She gave it to me on my second year with the family, on my birthday. She said it looked like my style so she had begged her parents to buy it for me on her part. I had it forever until I just lost it randomly in my freshman year of college. I’m happy Erwin had it remade. This is the only thing I have that reminds me of her,” Eren nodded at the answer. He had suspected that the ring was tied to something else but never thought it would be something as serious as this. Once again, it was quiet for a while. Levi was reliving everything that happened so long ago and processing the fact that he had just told Eren, who was hugging him and holding his hand. He was supporting him and being there for him. Eren, on the other hand, was trying to put all the pieces together.

“Wait, I’m a little confused,” Eren said, leaning away from Levi a bit to look at him, “is that the reason you were mad at Erwin and Ms. Zoe? I thought the accident happened when you were still in France.” Levi closed his eyes, cursing the fact that Eren had caught on.

“A couple of months ago, Erwin and Hanji convinced me to get in a car again to go out of town for a weekend away. It had been a long time since the accident with Petra so I agreed. Maybe by coincidence or fate or _something_ , we almost got into _another_ crash. We didn’t, though, because Erwin swerved out of the way in time, but it was enough for me to have a panic attack right there. I haven’t even thought about getting into any cars or buses or anything since then. That’s why I was mad at them. After that, they gave me some space to deal with every thing but I didn’t _need_ space. I needed them there, with me. They’re the closest thing to family I have now, even if I don’t tell them that,” Levi explained, his voice steady but with an underlying tone of pain and hurt. Eren could only hold him closer.

“I guess you’re pretty grateful that I pushed you to talked to them, huh?” Eren teased and Levi just rolled his eyes and tried to pull away. Eren only held tighter, but it wasn’t like Levi minded that.

“Speaking of friends, what was all this experience you were bragging about when you were giving me advice?” Levi asked.

“When my mom died, and then my dad, I pushed everyone I knew away. I didn’t talk to any of my friends for months. I even avoided Mikasa the best I could. I spent most of my time alone. I guess I just thought that if I pushed them away before they realized that everything was my fault, it would hurt less to lose them. I thought it would be easier to be alone than rejected. But after a while, Mikasa and Armin dragged me out of my house and we met up with friends. We talked and everything went back to normal. I don’t think I would have been able to get out of that state if it hadn’t been for them. They have become my family now and I’m very lucky to have them and that’s why—”

“That’s why you were trying so hard to make sure I got on good terms with Erwin and Hanji,” Levi interrupted, looking down at their intertwined hands.

“Exactly,” Eren nodded,”I know how important friends can be. Like I told you before, they’re the family you get to choose. If you lost your biological one, you have to do everything you can to preserve this one.”

“Thank you for that, by the way,” Levi muttered in the lowest voice possible, still looking away. But Eren heard. He was close enough to Levi to kiss him; he was definitely close enough to hear him.

“Thank you…for telling me all this,” Eren said and Levi nodded. He did feel better about telling Eren and was glad that he had taken the steps to do so. He stared at the younger and he stared back. It was intense, just like all their stares. Levi felt a shiver on his spine and Eren’s fingers twitched against Levi’s. Once again, they both leaned in, slowly and longingly. Their noses touched before their lips brushed against together just barely before Eren’s phone rang yet again.

“I swear to fucking god,” Eren huffed, pulling away from Levi and answering the phone.

“What?” he almost yelled, the tone of annoyance very evident in his answer, but then he quickly deflated when the person on the other side answered.

“Oh, Mikasa. Yeah, I already went. It was fine. I’ll tell you about it when I get home,” Eren continued and hummed at the other line as he continued. Levi decided it was a good time to give them some privacy.

He stood up to go to the bathroom. He stood over the sink, staring at his own reflection before moving to wash his face with some cold water. He looked up again, seeing his face dripping with the water onto his shirt. He really had just told everything to Eren, had opened up and let go like it was nothing, like it was the easiest thing in the world. That was the thing about Eren. He made people around him feel comfortable and understood. Maybe Levi would have been more hesitant to share his story if Eren hadn’t shared his first. Seeing the younger in front of his parents and talking about their death made him realize that he was right. Him and Eren did share a similar past, a similar pain. And while Eren had Mikasa and Arminand Levi had Hanji and Erwin, they would never know the feeling of constant blame and shame like Eren and Levi did. Eren understood that, though. He saw Levi beyond his present, he saw his past and acknowledged the person it had made him. He didn’t blame him or pretend to accept him. Eren was there for him and would be there for him from now on. The look in his eyes had said so.

Levi finally walked out to the bathroom and saw Eren sitting on the sofa, waiting for him. He smiled nervously before gesturing Levi to sit down.

“Sorry, about that. My sister just wanted to know how it went,”

“No worries,” Levi sat down before picking up his remote and putting on Netflix.

“Do you want to watch something? Or do you have somewhere to be?” Levi asked, staring at the TV so he didn’t have to look at Eren.

“I’m actually free the whole day,” Eren smiled again, getting more comfortable on the couch.

“Let me guess, you want to watch a Christmas movie,” Levi said, knowing Eren is the type to have Christmas traditions like building a gingerbread house and decorating the tree.

“Duh!” Levi smirked a little at the answer before looking through Netflix for something they might be interested in.

***

Eren and Levi continued like that, hopping around their feelings without confronting each other about it. They allowed for small touches: hands brushing against each other while walking together, brushing fingers through hair, and even passing wandering fingers on cheeks and chin. But they didn’t speak of any of the three almost kisses they had shared. Eren was too embarrassed to bring it up and Levi was too afraid of rejection to mention it. They remained in a state of limbo for more than three weeks.

One day, after the holidays and the beginning of the next semester, Eren sat in the coffee shop in his usual booth. He was waiting for Levi to come out for his tea break when Mikasa and Armin walked in and sat in front of him like they were about to begin an interrogation, which they did.

“So, Eren, Christa tells me that you have been spending a lot of time here,” Armin said and Eren looked at the cashier, glaring a bit at her. Since Eren went to the coffee shop a lot he had become quite close to the staff, but not near as close as Armin was, obviously.

“Uh, yeah, I like the atmosphere,” Eren said, knowing that there was no use in lying but doing it anyway.

“But she also told me you spend time here with someone else,” Eren cursed under his breath. He was so going to bitch Christa out later.

“Yes, fine,” he huffed, putting his hands in the air to show his surrender, “I’ve been spending some time with Levi.”

Armin and Mikasa looked at each other, like their suspicions had been confirmed.

“What are you guys, like friends or something?” Mikasa asked in such a negative tone that Eren was a little offended.

“Yes,” he answered proudly, silently challenging Mikasa.

“Are you sure? He’s, like, ancient,” she continued and Eren rolled his eyes.

“He just turned 32, don’t exaggerate,”

“Still, whether 32 or younger, he is still 11 years older than you. Isn’t that a little weird?” Mikasa asked and Eren could already see her overprotectiveness begin to show itself.

“It isn’t for us. We have a lot of things in common,” Mikasa looked like she was going to say something but held back, looking at Armin instead. Armin noticed her stare and spoke.

“I’ve known Levi for a while now. He’svery reserved and sometimes rude but he wouldn’t hurt anyone for no reason,” that seemed to calm Mikasa a bit but not enough, apparently.

“I don’t know, Eren. I know that we made an agreement that I would start treating you more like an adult and not try to control your life so much but…you’remaking it difficult for me to hold back. I mean, you randomly become friends with someone way older than you and quite rude and unlikeable, if I’m being honest,” Mikasa explained, looking at Eren to see what he would say. Eren rolled his eyes again and Mikasa wondered where he had picked up that habit.

“He’s not as mean as you guys think. You just haven’t gotten to know him too well. I mean, Armin, the only interaction you have had with him is inside this coffee shop and, Mikasa, you met him once,” Eren defended, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. Armin leaned forward a bit and narrowed his eyes at Eren. Mikasa opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when her phone bang to ring. 

“Fuck,” she said, shutting the phone off, “my break is over so I have to go but we will talk about this when I get home today.” She stood up, kissed Eren on the forehead, and hurried out. As soon as Mikasa had walked out of the coffee shop, Armin faced Eren.

“How long?”

“Huh?” Eren asked, confused.

“How long have you liked him for?” Armin repeated.

“Liked him?” Eren said but his voice came out high pitched and nervous. He sighed at his attempt to hide anything from his friend, who was commonly referred to as this age’s Einstein.

“I don’t know. For a while, I guess,” the brunette sighed, looking away from Armin in an attempt to hide his blush.

“Eren, you know this is…dangerous. You’re 20 years old so it’s not too serious but you’re still a kid in Mikasa’s eyes. She will kill you or him, or both of you. She will think he is taking advantage of you,” at the words that came out of Armin’s mouth, Eren’s head whipped up.

“But he isn’t! I swear!” Eren said and Armin grabbed his hand. The blonde reassured him that he already knew that. He knew Levi wasn’t the type at all but it didn’t matter if he was or he wasn’t. What mattered was what Mikasa would think and do.

“What can I do to show her that he’s not forcing me into anything?” Eren asked, biting his lip worryingly. Even though he had avoided talking to Levi about his feelings like it was the fucking plague, he was planning on letting the elder know at some point. He was almost certain that Levi felt the same way. Eren couldn’t help but think that if they let themselves be, they would be so happy together.

“You’re going to have to let Mikasa get to know him first, as only your friend. Once she forms her own opinion of him and she gets used to seeing the two of you together, you can tell her about your relationship,” Armin suggested and Eren nodded, trusting his friend because if there was someone that could help him with this it was definitely Armin.

“Anyway,” Armin said after a moment of silence, “does Levi know or…?”

“I haven’t told him but I feel like he knows. We almost kissed like three times,”

“You what?!” Armin hissed, starring at Eren in disbelief. Eren told him to lower his voice.

“I said almost! One was on the cheek and the other two were interrupted before we could really get there,” Eren explained, blushing a little at the memories that rushed through his head.

“And you guys haven’t talked about it? I mean, where do you stand? Are you friends? Boyfriends?”

“I have no idea,” Eren ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He knew Armin was right. They needed to talk about it and establish what they were. Eren didn’t know if he could keep pretending nothing happened for much longer.

“I know, I know,” Eren said once he saw Armin’s worried and reprimanding look, “I’ll talk to him soon.”

“Soon?”

“Fine! Tonight!” Eren gave in. They remained talking together for a while before Armin said he needed to leave. Eren stayed in the coffee shop, waiting for Levi to leave so he could walk the elder home and talk to him.

_This is going to be so hard_ , Eren thought, slumping his head on the table, where he accidentally fell asleep.


	13. Finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the teasing!

Eren felt himself being shaken. He forced his eyes open and looked up. Levi stared at him, his signature annoyed look plastered on his face.

“I swear to god if you drooled on my table I will make you clean it up,” Levi said, crossing his arms. Eren looked at the table and saw no drool. He pointed it out to Levi but the elder only rolled his eyes.

“Why did you fall asleep here anyways? You should have just gone home if you were tired,” Levi scolded.

“I was waiting for you. Can I walk you home? I want to talk to you,” Levi frowned a bit at his statement but allowed Eren to accompany him home. Even though Eren had planned to say everything he wanted on the way to the elder’s house, the words just didn’t come out. He decided to just bask in the silence and instead talk to Levi inside his house. He had the feeling he would feel a lot more comfortable in the familiar setting.

Once they arrived, Levi let him in and asked if he wanted anything to drink. Eren almost said “some alcohol would be nice” but decided it was best if he had this conversation sober. He was extremely nervous and Levi noticed. Eren’s thumbs would twiddle constantly, his leg would bounce up and down, and he kept wiping the palms of his hands on his jeans to get rid of the sweat.

“What is wrong with you?” Levi asked, obviously noticing all the signs and wondering what could possibly have the brat in such a state.

“I-I wanted to talk to you about…” Eren trailed off, thinking about how to continue that sentence. Levi raised his eyebrow at him, showing a little impatience.

“I wanted to talk about us,” Eren finally said after taking a deep breath. Immediately, Levi straightened up a bit and loosened the cravat that he wore.

“Oh, we’re having _that_ conversation,”

“I just need to know what exactly is happening. I know that we have come close to kissing many times but I don’t want to assume anything. I just want to make it very clear that…well, I-I seem to….maybe…I guess I just—”

“Spit it out, brat,” Levi interrupted him, his left eye twitching a little bit in annoyance.

“I like you, okay! I have for a while now and I don’t know what to do about it,” Eren confessed, blushing furiously and refusing to look at Levi. It was because of this that Eren didn’t see Levi’s obvious smirk. The elder passed his fingers through his hair before speaking.

“What can I say? I guess I’m just irresistible,”

“You’re such an ass, you know tha—” Eren began to say but was interrupted yet again by Levi.

“I like you too, shitty brat. Don’t get so angry so quickly,”

“Ah, sorry, old habit,” Eren apologized, once again scratching the back of his head to show his embarrassment. Levi mentally counted in his head to see how long it would take the younger to catch up. The answer was 4 seconds.

“Wait, you what? Say that again,” Eren asked, only now noticing what Levi had said.

“I will not. If you missed it then I guess you’ll never know,” Levi teased, letting a smirk show on his face because this was Eren. He didn’t have anything to hide from him anymore.

“Oh, Leviiiiiii. Come on! Please!”

“Nope,” Levi shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning on the corner of the sofa. Eren looked at him and pleaded. He even showed his puppy eyes and his pout but Levi refused to fall victim to that trick again. Eren thought his power would only get stronger if he was closer to Levi, so he scooted over to the male until their faces were so close together they became crosseyed.

“You’re such an idiot,” Levi huffed, but definitely feeling the effects of Eren’s face and body close to his.

“If I admit that, will you tell me what you said?” Eren asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes like he was inside a cartoon. Levi could only roll his eyes and look away.

“ _I said_ that I like you too, brat,” Levi muttered, now looking back to see what Eren would do. Suddenly, Eren’s face changed from being cute and soft to looking very dark and almost hungry. Levi stared back, admiring a side of Eren he had never seen before.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Eren said lowly, before leaning in without any hesitation. Seeing this, Levi leaned in as well. But, like always, just as they were about to touch, someone knocked on Levi’s door. Levi huffed at the interruption and Eren chuckled lightly.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Levi said, getting up to open the door and see who was the unlucky victim. But before he could advance a step, Eren stood up and grabbed his elbow, making him whip back and face Eren, forcing their bodies to push together.

“I’m sure whoever that is can wait,” Eren said before finally, _finally_ leaning down and catching Levi’s lips with his own. Levi didn’t hesitate to follow along. He put his arms around the younger’s neck to pull him down, one of his hands made its way into Eren’s hair. Eren’s arms snaked around Levi’s waist, pulling him closer and closer because he just couldn’t get enough. The wait was _definitely_ worth it.

Their lips moved together in perfect sync, like they had been kissing each other for years. This time, Levi made the first move. He pulled Eren’s hair, making him gasp at the sharp pain. Levi used this opportunity to slip his tongue inside and Eren welcomed it like it was the only cure to a disease he was suffering from. There was a point in their heated kiss when Levi began to suck on Eren’s tongue and the younger rolled his eyes back at the feeling, thinking he was going to melt in that moment.

Everything around them had disappeared. They had forgotten about the door and whoever was waiting behind it. They only thing in their minds were the feelings of pure bliss as their tongues moved and their bodies pressed together. More than once, one of Levi’s hands scratched Eren’s neck and upper back. When he did that, Eren couldn’t help but pull the raven closer, his hands sometimes slipping to the small of his back.

Then, another knock, harsher and more impatient, sounded across the living room, putting everything into perspective. Eren and Levi pulled back, but their hands stayed on each other. They looked at one other for a while, Levi’s eyes hooded and Eren’s cheeks flushed red. It was another knock that finally pulled them apart. Levi moved to open door. As soon as he unlocked it and opened it, he was attacked by a flash of red. Levi’s eyes widened at the contact but upon seeing one of his best friends standing at the door, staring at him, he gasped and hugged the girl back.

“Isabel! Farlan!” Levi said, pulling away from the girl and staring at her. He put his hand on her cheek and caressed it, as if wondering is she was really solid. Eren walked in at the sound of the commotion to find two people at the door. There was a tall, blonde and skinny man standing in the doorway, a wide smile on his lips. Eren then looked at the other stranger, who was now clinging to Levi like he would disappear at any moment. She was shorter than Levi, her hair was red and in the kind of pigtails that always makes you look like a kid. Eren cleared his throat a bit loudly, hoping his presence would force Levi away from the girl. Eren knew he had no right to feel possessive. They had both confessed their feelings but a lot was still left unsaid.

Levi turned around to see Eren and looked at him like he just remembered he was there. Upon seeing that Levi was dumbstruck and at a loss for words, Eren decided to introduce himself. He had never seen the elder like this but decided to not mention it. If there was a reason for it, he would find out later.

“Hi, I’m Eren Jeager,” Eren said, walking up to the man and putting out his hand. The stranger smiled at him, took his hand and introduced himself.

“I’m Farlan Church, nice to meet you,” he said in a bit of a French accent. Eren nodded at the pleasantry and said the same. He waited for the girl to introduce herself but she refused to pull away from Levi. Eren’s lips plunged into a frown.

“And that is Isabel Magnolia,” Farlan said after he noticed that the girl had not made any moves to introduce herself, “please excuse her. She hasn’t seen Levi in…a very long time.” Eren nodded, accepting that these were probably old friends of Levi’s.

“Ho—How did you guys…?” Levi said, still surprised at the sudden appearance of his childhood friends. He finally pulled away from Isabel to hug Farlan. He then asked them to come in and sit down to talk. He hadn’t asked Eren to leave; he actually opted to sit next to Eren while his two friends explained everything, which made Eren a lot less uneasy about the unexpected visit.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say hello…Eren, was it?” the red haired girl said, finally noticing Eren once Levi had taken a seat next to him. Eren nodded and the girl smiled at getting his name right. “I was just so happy to see Levi. When was the last time we saw each other?”

“When I was adopted,” Levi offered but Farlan shook his head, saying that even though they had stopped seeing each other regularly after Levi’s adoption, they had met a couple of times throughout the years before Levi left. They still couldn’t pinpoint exactly when that was but it seemed unimportant at the moment.

“How did you find me? I thought you guys had forgotten about me since I left France,” Levi said and Eren understood why the couple had such thick French accents. They must have lived with Levi while he was orphan in France.

“Forget about you? Listen to this guy,” Isabel said, elbowing Farlan, who only smiled, “as if we could forget Humanity’s Strongest.” Eren looked at Levi a little confused at the name.

“It’s what they called me when we were little and played hide and seek,” Levi explained.

“Not just hide and seek!” Isabel corrected, “he was the best at all the games we played! Even at the games that _we_ taught _him_ how to play! He was unbeatable!” Levi only chuckled lightly at the praise before asking again how they had found him.

“To be honest,” Farlan said, “it was pretty hard. We had no idea where you were until about three years ago. Isabel was flipping through TV channels when she came across some news reporter talking about a huge, devastating earthquake that hit here.”— at the mention of the natural disaster, Eren shifted in his seat and Levi looked at him reassuringly—“The news reporter was standing in front of a random street and we saw you pass by in front of the camera. We weren’t really sure it was you, until Isabel paused the TV and rewinded it. I was skeptical but she was sure so we had to investigate. We spent the next couple of years saving up enough to come here and track you down completely.”

Levi was more than surprised. He didn’t remember seeing any television reporter, ever, while walking around town. But that was over three years ago, he could have missed it. He just couldn’t help but think “what are the odds?”. It was almost impossible, a one in a billion chance, yet Farlan and Isabel were really here, sitting on his couch and talking to him.

“I can’t believe it,” Levi muttered and Eren silently agreed. It _was_ unbelievable. “Wait, you said, you moved here?” Levi suddenly said, realization hitting him.

“Yeah,” Farlan said, a bit embarrassed, “that’s why we took so long to come. We had tracked you down to the city but we wanted to come prepared. We spent over three years just saving up enough money to move here. We arrived a couple of weeks ago and we just recently found out your exact address but we already have an apartment and everything.”

“So, you’re really staying? You’re not going back home?”

“Levi,” Isabel said, taking Levi’s hand, “France stopped being home the moment you left.” At this, Levi’s expression softened so much, Eren thought he was having a dream. He had never seen the elder look so touched and so…happy. It was because of this that Eren realized these two French strangers weren’t just kids from Levi’s childhood. This was the closest thing Levi had to a family, next to Petra and her parents. Eren suddenly felt guilty for feeling so jealous before.

“I-I want to know everything,” Levi suddenly said, pulling his hand away from Isabel to sit more comfortably, “how have you guys been? Did you ever get adopted? What is France like now?” Levi spilled all the questions but before he could get an answer, Eren’s phone rang. At that moment, Eren decided he would build the habit of leaving his phone on vibrate. He excused himself and went to answer it in the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned.

“Levi, that was Mikasa. I should probably get home,” Eren said and Levi nodded, “It was so nice to meet you both, Isabel and Farlan. I hope to see you around more often!” The couple smiled at him and agreed before Levi stood up to walk Eren to the door.

“I’ll text you tomorrow,” Eren said, putting on his coat, “let me know how this goes.”

“I will,”

“Levi?”

“Yeah?”

“This is a good thing. I’m very happy for you,” Eren said quietly, stepping closer to Levi and cupping his cheek. Levi looked at him and simply let the corner of his lips quirk up in a small smile, one that only Eren noticed because he had grown so accustomed to the gesture. Eren smiled back before leaning down and kissing Levi again. The kiss wasn’t as heated as last time. It was shorter, more ofa press of the lips than anything else. Just a simple goodbye kiss. With that, Eren went home.

Levi returned to the living room to continue his conversation with Isabel and Farlan.

“Anyway, like I said, tell me everything,” Levi said, sitting back down on the couch.

“Not before you tell me who that cutie was!” Isabel said and Farlan joined in, saying, “Please tell me you’re hitting that.” Levi rolled his eyes but didn’t hide the smirk that came to his face. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. It had been years, but Farlan and Isabel knew him too well.

“I knew it!” Isabel squealed before telling Levi to explain every detail about how they had met and how they began to date. Levi agreed but only promised to tell after they had recounted everything about them after he had left. They agreed and they spent the night talking, catching up on their lives and their lost time together.

After Farlan and Isabel left to their apartment, refusing to stay the night but promising to meet with Levi the next day, Levi went to his room to catch any sleep he could get. He got more hours than he thought he would, but it made sense. In only one day, he had gained back two of the most important people in his life _and_ one dorky looking brat that could kiss like he had invented it.


	14. Meet Me at Midnight...again

When Eren got home he had the conversation with Mikasa that she had promised they would have. It wasn’t a fight, which Eren was glad for because he didn’t know how he would handle another one about the same thing. Mikasa really lived up the promise that she made about being less controlling. She only asked Eren a couple of questions about him and Levi. How did they become friends? What is Levi like? What are Levi’s other friends like? Who are they and does she know any of them? Small things like those that Eren answered cautiously but willingly.

The next morning Eren received a text from Levi letting him know that everything went well between the French couple and him. He said that they only talked about their lives back home and what they did once Levi left. Eren was sorry to hear that the couple had a pretty rough childhood, never really getting adopted and having to leave the orphanage they had grown so accustomed to once they turned eighteen. They were left to themselves after that, only looking for any work that would bring in enough money to maintain them. After a while, they finally got on their feet and lived pretty comfortably untilfinding out about Levi. Even though Eren was only texting Levi, he knew the elder was happy, mostly because of his rapid typing and his description of everything. Eren was more than happy for the elder.

That only changed slightly when Levi let him know that he would be spending the rest of the weekend and most of the next week with Isabel and Farlan so he will be unable to go to the coffee shop and see Eren. Of course, the younger was a little bothered. He _just_ got to tell Levi his feelings and the elder actually returned them. All he wanted to do is go to Levi’s place and hold the smaller in his arms until they fell asleep. He wanted to spend as much time with Levi as he could get. His love for the elder was young, still blooming, still curious and needy. He wanted to be around Levi all the time, touch him in the unmapped places of his body, run his lips over the creases and marks of his pale skin. He wanted to feel and experience Levi. And he finally got the opportunity to do it but now it was all halted until god knows when.

Eren knew he had no right to feel so jealous. He had worked really hard for months until Levi finally agreed to be friends and smile around him and let him touch his hair and hands. And Isabel had just walked out of nowhere and done all of those things in a mere blink of an eye, with no effort, in no time. But Eren knew that was unfair. These were Levi’s childhood friends. They had a history Eren would probably never fully know about or comprehend. What Levi had with his friends was completely different, totally separate from what he had with Eren. The taller had no right, nor need, to feel any lesser than the visitors (now permanent residents, actually).

So, Eren had to come to terms with the fact that he didn’t see Levi for the whole week. They texted sometimes, just to catch up on the day they had missed together but Eren wanted more. More than once during the week apart, he felt such a painful longing in his chest for Levi that he thought he was going to die if he didn’t see the male. When he felt those unbearable feelings of yearning, he couldn’t help but text Levi to see if he was home, but the elder was always out, always with Isabel and Farlan.

That was until Friday afternoon. He was in his house with his friends. They were simply hanging out, talking and eating shit like always. Eren was having a good time; distracted from Levi and a little buzzed. Him and his friends were in the middle of taking shots when Jean opened his mouth to say something. Immediately, Eren knew it was going to be something bad.

“So, Eren, Armin tells me that you’ve got yourself a boyfriend,” he teased and Eren glared at Armin, who tries to defend himself.

“I never said boyfriend! I said friend,” Armin corrected but Eren let him know that it wasn’t any better.

“What about him, Jean? Looking for a foursome?” Eren smirked because Jean and Marco blushed so furiously, their heads looked like a pair of cherries that shared the same stem.

“No! I just thought he could come to Reiner’s party tomorrow night,” Jean said, his blush finally toning down. Eren stared at him for a little bit, studying him and trying to decipher his motives. When he couldn’t see anything, he chose to ask his question point blank.

“Why?”

“Because we would like to meet him,” Marco said, stepping in to support his boyfriend. Eren looked around the group and saw Sasha and Connie nodding, Armin avoiding his eyes, and Mikasa shrugging her shoulders.

“You want to meet him? Why do I feel like you guys are planning something?” Eren said, narrowing his eyes at Jean and Marco specifically.

“We are not!” Jean said, a little insulted, “It’s just that we want to get to know him. If he’s cool we can all hang out together and you don’t need to divide your time between us and him,” Eren continued to stare at him. Jean would never do such a nice thing like that. Someone was putting him up to it and he had a feeling he knew who it was.

“So you just want to meet him, huh?” Eren said, talking to Jean but looking at Mikasa. The girl stared back, not bothered by the fact that Eren knew she was behind all of this. Finally, Eren agreed and said he would tell Levi to go with him to the party.

That same night, once all his friends had left and Mikasa was passed out on her bed, Eren left to go see Levi. It was almost three in the morning but he didn’t really care. He decided not to drive there since he had had more than a few drinks, and while he did have a high tolerance for alcohol he didn’t feel comfortable behind the wheel. He chose to walk to Levi’s house instead, which turned out to be a good choice since the cold hair sobered him up a little.

Once he got to Levi’s house, he knocked and was surprised to see that the door was opened almost immediately, showing that the elder had been awake and not in his room. Levi opened the door and barely saw Eren before the younger pounced.

“Eren? It’s three in the—” Levi didn’t get to finish as he was pushed inside his own apartment, Eren’s lips locked with his own. He closed the door behind them and continued to kiss Levi, passionately and longingly. He had _finally_ kissed Levi again after not seeing a sign of him for a whole week. It was nothing short of heavenly. The raven’s tongue tasted of black tea and suddenly Eren forgot his hate for tea. While Levi had been surprised, he was quick to react. He immediately latched on to Eren’s waist and stood up on the tip of toes to reach Eren a little better.

This kiss was somewhat different, and Levi noticed immediately. Eren was kissing him hungrily, desperately. He sucked on Levi’s tongue and ran his fingers through Levi’s hair and cheek. He pulled the smaller in so close, it felt like they were melting into each other. At one point, Eren took Levi’s bottom lip in between his teeth and lightly pulled back, his eyes opening a bit to see Levi’s expression. At that part, Levi needed to pull back to catch his breath.

“Wow,” Levi breathed, staring at Eren but not letting go of his waist, “you’re welcome to come here at any hour you want if you’re going to do _that_.” Eren smiled at him and Levi suddenly remembered how much he had missed that.

“I came to tell you something,” Eren said, pulling away from Levi and leading him to the living room couch. They sat down next to each other, Eren’s hand on Levi’s waist to pull him closer.

“And it was so urgent you had to tell me at”—he looked at his phone— “three twenty three in the morning?” Eren smirked, getting a weird sense of deja vu.

“Isn’t this how we met? In the middle of the night?”

“Maybe so but that doesn’t guarantee I will always be available for your midnight adventures,” Levi said playfully but Eren’s smirk faltered a bit. He wanted to say “why? because you’ll be with Isabel and Farlan, like you’ve been all week?” but he didn’t. He knew better than that. If there was one thing Eren was proud of, it was the fact that he had gotten his anger issues in check after high school.

“Something wrong?” Levi said, noticing the change in the younger’s demeanor.

“I just…really missed you this week. Isabel and Farlan hogged you all this time and I didn’t even get to see you once,” Eren pouted a little playfully, pushing the negative thoughts out of his mind. He reminded himself that his jealousy was selfish and unreasonable. Levi looked at Eren for a long time before he let a small smile slip onto his face.

“Are you jealous?” Levi asked, a little surprised that the younger was siting there next to him pouting about not spending enough time together.

“No, of course not!” Eren lied right through his teeth and Levi had to hold back a laugh.

“Brat, you’re the dumbest person I have met by a mile,” Levi said and Eren looked a little insulted but Levi continued anyway, “they’re my best friends. I haven’t seen them since junior high. Just because I hang out with them doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be with you, idiot.” Eren nodded at the explanation, accepting that Levi was right.

“Besides,” Levi continued, “if it makes you feel any better, Isabel and Farlan are married.” Eren’s eyes widened and he suddenly felt the biggest sigh of relief coming out of his mouth. He was half surprised at his own relief but half aware of it. He guessed he had felt a little threatened by the red haired girl since she was always so affectionate and close to Levi.

“And you _aren’t_ jealous?” Levi huffed at Eren’s sigh but with no real negativity. He only told Eren the news that he had discovered this past week because he knew Eren probably felt a little jealous of the intimacy he shared with Isabel (who was really like a little sister to him). He felt a little warm knowing that Eren missed him enough to feel envious of his friends. He smirked at Eren’s pout for being called out and Levi couldn’t help but lean in and give Eren a light peck on the lips. Immediately, Eren brightened and followed Levi to kiss him once again but the raven pulled away.

“You came to tell me something?” Levi smirked at Eren’s frown. He loved the way Eren could kiss him senseless but he was afraid they would get too carried away and it was way too soon for that.

“Oh, right,” Eren said and he suddenly became very nervous, “my friends want you to come a friend’s party tomorrow night…er, tonight.”

“Seriously?”

“Uh, yeah. But they don’t know we’re together or anything! They just think we’re friends. They want to meet you,”

“Brat, I’m 32 years old. I’m way too old to be going to college parties. It’s fucking weird,” Levi said, grimacing a bit at the thought.

“It’s not really a college party. Reiner’s dad, our friend, owns a club downtown and he always closes for his son’s parties. It’s not like you will be in a frat house or anything. It’s a club, totally normal for a 32 year old.”

“It does make it less suspicious that it’s in a public place but the fact that I will be with people younger than me still sounds questionable,” Levi explained, trying to make Eren see that this was definitely a little weird.

“Levi, we’re all overage. You’ll be fine,” Eren insisted.

“Wait,” Levi suddenly realized, “how old _are_ you?” Eren also came to the realization that he had never really told Levi how old he was. The elder knew he was in college which was enough to guarantee he was overage but Eren never mentioned the exact number.

“I’ll be 21 in March,” Eren confessed a bit sheepishly.

“Oh my god, you’re not even old enough to drink!” Levi said, a little surprised but also amused. The kid really _was_ a brat. Eren didn’t get the playfulness of Levi’s tone, however (but who would?).

“Is—Is that a problem?” Eren asked, a little afraid that Levi would think it weird and suddenly put an end to what they had.

“No, no. It’s just funny,” Levi reassured. He didn’t care how old Eren was as long as he was legal. They were far apart in ages, but Levi thought they were a lot closer in personalities and hearts, which mattered to him more than anything else. Because he was a very reserved person, and frankly quite antisocial, he never really had connections with people outside of his friend circle. He had a couple of lovers here and there to pass the time, but really none of them compared to Eren. The younger knew him and understood him on a level no one had or probably would. Levi wasn’t going to let some mere years get in between that.

“Anyways,” Eren said, changing the subject a bit, “will you come? We can get super drunk and dance.”

“I don’t dance,”

“I can dance for you,” Eren said, his voice lower and more suggestive. Levi fought back with a smirk and a tone equal to the younger’s.

“Oh yeah?” Levi said as his eyes became glued to the younger’s mouth because Eren had bitten his lip a little before smiling.

“If you want me to,” Eren whispered, and noticing Levi’s eyes on his lips, smirked right back.

“Since when are you so flirty?”

“Since I realized it gets you all worked up,” Eren answered without missing a beat. Levi noticed Eren meant “worked up” by the fact that Levi was smirking, looking at Eren’s lips, and practically leaning on top of him. Levi pulled back and passed a hand through his hair.

“Fine, I’ll go”—Eren perked up at the news but Levi rose a finger at him—“ _but_ I’ll only stay for like an hour or two. After that, I’m going home.” Eren agreed to the terms and kissed the elder appreciatively. They spent some time on the couch, just catching up on the week they had missed. Suddenly, Levi realized the time and asked Eren if he needed to go home.

“It’s, like, four o’clock now. There’s really no point in going back home,” Eren said and Levi rolled his eyes.

“Is this your way of asking me to let you stay over?” Eren only blushed and scratched the back of his head. Levi sighed before leading Eren to his room. Eren had never been in there before but he noticed it wasn’t much different from the rest of the house. It was a little plain, with only a bed, a dresser, a night stand on each side of the bed, and a TV. Facing the left side of the bed was a door that was slightly ajar but still prevented Eren from seeing what it was. He assumed it was probably a bathroom since he already noticed a closet on the opposite wall. There was a window facing the entrance but it was covered by a dark curtain. Leave it to Levi to have everything black in his house.

“We’re just here to sleep, you got it?” Levi warned, turning on the light of the room.

“I’m offended that you think I was here for anything more than that,” Eren said but his smirk made Levi wonder what was running through his mind. They settled into bed, not noticing that they had both chosen their sides of the bed without any argument. Eren had always liked the left side and Levi never slept anywhere but the right even when he was alone.

“We _are_ going to cuddle, though, right?” Eren asked, looking at Levi. The elder thought for a moment, before shrugging.

“But if it gets really hot in the night or I feel your dick against my ass I’m pushing you off the bed,” Levi warned and Eren laughed heartily. Levi never thought he needed something so badly in his life until Eren held him close, pulled Levi’s face to lay on his chest, and rested his chin on Levi’s head.

***  
Eren woke up two hours later because Levi’s hair was tickling his chin. He opened his eyes a little, remembering everything that happened last night and the position he was in. He held Levi tighter, the elder still asleep on his chest with his left arm lightly holding on to Eren’s shirt. Eren’s left arm, which was under Levi, was a little numb from having so much weight on it for such a long period of time but he left it there. He only rose it a bit to touch Levi’s hair and move it away from where it was tickling him. With his right hand he leaned to the night stand next to him and picked up his phone. Mikasa didn’t work on Saturdays so she used this time to sleep in. Eren quickly texted her and told her that he had left early in the morning to talk to Levi about the party, which was a pretty white lie but Eren thought it would be better than Mikasa waking up to an empty house with no warning from him. Once he sent the text, he put the phone back and moved his right hand to cradle Levi’s face. Eren couldn’t really see the elder in this [position](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5rhLyQV4AExTLa.jpg) but he was acutely aware of their bodies touching. He held Levi’s face from both sides, his left arm under Levi played with his hair while his free right arm cupped Levi’s cheek. Eren took in a deep sigh, smelling Levi’s shampoo in his hair. He smiled widely before kissing Levi on the head and going back to sleep.

Eren then woke up at around 11 in the morning. The bed was empty but he wasn’t too worried about it, thinking that the elder was probably in the kitchen making breakfast. He sat up on the bed and looked at his phone. He had received a text from Mikasa, acknowledging his leave but asking him to be home before the party so they could get ready together. Eren agreed. He also had a missed call from “Horseface” so he swiped on the name to call back.

“Jeager! Is your boyfriend coming or not?” Jean immediately said upon answering the phone, proving Eren’s suspicions that this was why he had called. Eren rolled his eyes but smiled a little at the way that sounded. Levi being his boyfriend. He liked that.

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Yet!” Jean said and Eren heard Marco laugh in the background.

“Shut up, Jean! What do you know? You haven’t even met him,”

“Which is why you’re bringing him tonight, right?” Jean asked and there was silence on his line, implying that Marco was also waiting to hear his answer.

“Yes, he’s coming”—Jean and Marco whooped in victory but Eren was quick to shut them up—“ _but_ he’s only going to stay for two hours tops. He is a little older than us and feels a little uncomfortable hanging around us.”

“As if age is ever a big deal. My parents are fifteen years apart, you know?” Marco yelledfrom the other line and Eren heard Jean huff, pushing him away.

“It’s okay, Jeager. As long as we get to see what he’s like,”

“Don’t think I don’t know Mikasa is behind all of this! I bet you couldn’t care less about who I spend my time with,” Eren said and waited to see what Jean would say. He could only hear laughter from the other side.

“Fine, I’m not going to deny it. Yeah, Mika asked me to set it up. It’s not a big deal. Besides, if he’s cool I really do think we can all hang out together. It will be fun to feel the sexual tension between you guys,”

“You perv!” Eren said but grinned widely. As much as he and Jean had gotten off on the wrong foot in the past, it was all forgotten. They had grown close and realized that they only fought so much because they were so alike. It wasn’t long before they settled into a love-hate friendship.

Jean only snickered from the other line and told Eren he was going now. Eren agreed and hung up. He finally go out of bed and went to the kitchen to see if maybe Levi was there. As soon as he opened the bedroom door and smelled the sweet odor that bacon gave off, Eren smiled brightly and bounced into the kitchen. He saw Levi over the stove and he made his way over as quietly as he could. He enveloped Levi from the back, his hands on the younger’s waist and his lips kissing the back of Levi’s neck. Eren felt Levi shudder slightly before moving away.

“You’re going to make me get burned by the bacon grease, brat,” Levi warned but Eren continued on.

“I’ll kiss the burns for you,” Levi rolled his eyes but turned off the stove, the bacon was ready anyway. He turned around and looked at Eren, who was grinning so happily it was hard for Levi to keep his own smile at bay.

“I can see you trying not to smile,” Eren teased, pulling him closer.

“No, you can’t,” Levi said, trying moving away to hide his face but Eren held him in place.

“Yes, you are. I can see the corners of your lips twitching,” Eren said, pulling Levi’s face up by his chin and to look at him.

“I’m going to get you to smile wide some day. Be ready,” Eren warned but let Levi move away so he could transfer the bacon from the pan to the plates, which already had slices of avocado toast on top. Levi wanted to say something to Eren but decided to hold back. If there was one thing Levi knew it was the fact that Eren was recklessly determined and obnoxiously stubborn. If he set his mind to something, it was going to happen eventually. Levi didn’t think he had any problem with Eren’s goal.

“Go brush your teeth, brat. Breakfast is almost ready. I’m about to make scrambled eggs,” Levi said, moving to the fridge to bring out the eggs. Eren nodded and made his way to the bathroom before stopping half way.

“Do you have an extra toothbrush?” he asked Levi, knowing the clean freak would not want to share his own with him.

“There should be some under the sink. Pick whichever one you want,” Levi called from the kitchen and Eren nodded, going to the bathroom.

After a couple of minutes, Eren finally came out and saw Levi already setting the table in the dining room. He went into the kitchen to help get the cups and drinks.

“Mugs?” Eren asked.

“Top cabinet next to the sink,” Eren nodded and moved there. He saw that Levi had an extensive collection of various mugs, ranging from regular colored mugs to others with writing and pictures. He picked the mug he had given Levi for his birthday and a plain white one. Levi was setting the table in the dining room so Eren called out to him.

“Juice or water?” He faintly heard Levi say juice so he pulled the only one the elder had in the fridge. He sat down at the table, facing Levi with a great smile. They started to eat immediately, both incredibly hungry. They kept light conversation, talking about pretty much everything but nothing at the same time. Eren couldn’t help but want to get closer to the male.

“I can feel you rubbing my leg, brat,” Levi said and took a drink of his juice to hide his smirk. Eren only stared at him innocently but continued to rub his leg against Levi’s, sometimes going up to the knee.

“Eren,” Levi warned, narrowing his eyes at the younger but Eren continued to look oblivious to what he was doing. He rubbed up and down Levi’s calf, reaching his knee but then going back down. After a couple of minutes, Eren got a little too confident and moved his foot farther than the knee, rubbing against Levi’s inner thigh. Levi stared at him and Eren looked back, as if challenging Levi to do something. Of course, Levi did. He grabbed Eren’s ankle, making the younger gasp in surprise.

“You really think I’m just going to sit here and let you do that?” Levi smirked when Eren turned a little red because the elder had begun to pass his fingers along his ankle and calf. Levi did that for a while before Eren broke eye contact and pulled his leg away. He stood up and sauntered over to Levi, bravely sitting on the man’s lap. His legs were on either side of the raven and before any of them could overthink their position, Eren was kissing Levi just the way he liked it: desperately and hungrily. He bit and pulled at Levi’s lips while the elder passed his hands all through his back and nape of the neck. Again, Levi was the one to slip his tongue in the younger’s mouth, his fingers moving into Eren’s hair and gently massaging his scalp. Eren pulled away to kiss Levi’s jawline tenderly before reaching his ear and whispering, “pull my hair,” and biting Levi’s earlobe. The elder let out a low growl at the bite but pulled Eren’s hair back, exposing his pretty tan neck. Eren let out a small moan at the pull before he felt Levi’s lips all over his neck. He bit and sucked on various parts, though he was careful not to leave any marks.

“Oh, fuck,” Eren moaned when Levi found a small spot between his shoulder and his neck. Levi ran his tongue through it before sucking lightly. Eren’s head moved to the side to allow Levi more space while his fingers gripped Levi’s shoulders. Before Eren knew what was happening, Levi lifted him up, wrapping the brunette’s legs around his waist and leading him to the living room couch. Levi let him down gently before settling in between Eren’s legs and going straight back to kissing him. They pulled back for a second and Levi couldn’t believe the sight he had right before him. Eren’s eyes were hooded lazily, his cheeks were flushed red in the most sensual way, and his lips were swollen and pink from all the rough kisses. Levi reached with his hand to pull a strand of hair away from Eren’s eyes. He tucked it behind Eren’s ear intimately, making Eren blush even more. They stared at each other for a little bit, with Eren under Levi, looking up at the raven like he was the only thing in the world. Levi’s black hair fell to the sides of his face, making his pale skin stand out. Eren rose his hand to touch Levi’s cheek and cradle it a bit. His thumb brushed against Levi’s lips, making the elder smile a bit. Eren smiled back before pulling him down for a kiss.

“I told you I could get you to smile,” Eren teased after pulling away. Levi rolled his eyes, his smile growing a little wider. He leaned down to kiss Eren again but stopped midway. He pulled back a little to look at the younger under him.

“Did you hear the door open?” Levi asked. Eren looked up at him confusedly.

“The door—?” Eren asked but before he could finish there was a yelp from the entry into the living room.

“Shit!” Levi said before moving away from Eren quickly. The brunette sat up to look at what was going on.

“Levi!” Hanji said, standing next to Erwin, who had the biggest smirk on his face.

“Fuck,” Levi muttered while Eren only just began to register what was going on. He began to grow red until the whites of his eyes and averted his gaze from Levi’s friends.

“Oh, please, excuse us,” said Hanji, a little flustered but very happy, “we didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“What do you want, Shitty Glasses?” Levi growled, knowing that now his friends will never stop teasing him.

“Oh, nothing!” she sang but led Erwin to sit on the loveseat next to where Levi and Eren were making out just a second ago.

“You came here for a reason, didn’t you? You even used the spare key I keep under the plant outside,” Levi said but Hanji insisted that she had not. Levi told her he could clearly see the key in her hand. Hanji only dropped it in her coat pocket before continuing to deny it.

“We only came to pay you a visit. We haven’t seen you all week and Erwin says you haven’t even gone into work! But now I can see why,” Hanji said and wiggled her eyebrows. Eren only grew even more red, burying his face in his hands.

“Get those dirty thoughts out of your head, Four Eyes. I’ve only been missing work because I spent the week with Isabel and Farlan,” at the names, Hanji and Erwin perked up.

“You mean…?” Erwin said, looking at Levi and then at Hanji. Levi nodded before getting more comfortable in his seat. There was practically a whole land mass between him and Eren now that they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. He tried to ignore the need to be close to Eren, feel his warmth, hold his hand, pass his fingers through his pretty brown hair.

“But how? Did they just come from France?” Erwin continued, looking so interested that Eren thought the couple most definitely knew all about Levi’s old friends. Levi only nodded at the question before Hanji offered her own.

“When did they come here? How did they find you? Why didn’t you tell us before?” Hanji spewed out before asking even more things. Levi only massages his temples before telling her to shut up. He opted instead to tell the whole story about how they were reunited. Eren listened to everything again and noted how Levi was careful to leave out the parts where he and Eren were together and shared kisses.

“Oh my god,” Hanji squealed, gripping Erwin’s hand in excitement, “we _have_ to meet them!” Immediately, Levi shook his head but Hanji ignored him.

“Levi, these are your childhood friends! And we are your high school friends! We need to unite together so we can share our memories about you! I bet they don’t know about that time you accidentally dated a porn star!” Hanji said, staring at Levi intently.

“You _what_?” Eren asked, looking at the elder incredulously, only for Levi to wave the question away. Eren sent him a sharp look but Levi only returned one that said _Later_. The younger only huffed in annoyance.

“Look, Hanji, I don’t even know when they will be available and I just—” Levi stopped speaking when there was knock on his door and then the sound of it opening.

“I swear to god, is this a mall or something? People keep coming in and out like it’s a fucking public place,” as soon as Levi finished complaining, Isabel’s voice rang through the hall way leading to the living room from the doorway.

“Levi? The door was open so we just came in,” Isabel said, arriving at the living room and staring at everyone a little surprised. Before Levi could say anything, Hanji jumped up and put her hand out.

“You must be Isabel! I’m Hanji!” Isabel took her hand a little wearily before realizing her name.

“Oh! You’re Levi’s friend! Farlan, look, it’s the friend Levi told us about!” Farlan came from behind his wife and shook Hanji’s hand. Erwin stood up as well and introduced himself. After all the meetings, Isabel said hello to Eren and kissed him on the cheek while Farlan only waved.

“You know Eren?” Hanji asked, sitting back down on her previous seat. Eren noticed this and scooted to the other side where Levi was in order to give his seat to the French couple.

“Yeah, he was here the night Isabel and I came to see Levi,” Farlan said before thanking Eren for his seat. Isabel nodded enthusiastically at the answer.

“Ah, so Eren was here with Levi?” Hanji asked them but she stared at Levi, a little too knowingly for Levi’s taste. When her suspicion was confirmed by an innocent Isabel, who really had no idea why Hanji was asking, she looked at Levi and smiled mischievously. Levi could only groan quietly in his seat.

“You know, Isabel and Farlan,” Hanji said, now facing back to the couple, “Erwin and I would love to get to know you better. Why don’t we have a small dinner party tomorrow night? We can have it at my place; I’ll cook!”

Before Levi could step in and stop the whole ordeal, Isabel said that she would love to attend. Farlan smiled and nodded along with his wife’s answer. Hanji was already laughing in glee before Levi stepped in.

“I would rather eat roadkill than what you make, Shitty Glasses. If we’re having a party it will be here,” Hanji only seemed more overjoyed about the whole thing. She mentioned how she always loved Levi’s cooking so it was really a win-win. Just when Levi didn’t think things could get worse, Erwin decided to open his mouth for the first time in five minutes.

“Eren, you’ll be coming, right?” the said man perked up at his name but deflated immediately. He glanced at Levi briefly, asking him what he should answer. Apparently, Eren had taken too long in formulating an answer, so Isabel spoke for him.

“Of course he will come! He’s one of Levi’s friends too so he has to be there!” Eren looked at the red haired girl briefly. Something about the way she said the word “friend” made Eren feel like she knew something.

“Uh…sure I’ll come. What time?” he asked a little nervously, which made his leg bounce up and down and rub against Levi’s own.

“How about seven? It should give Levi plenty of time to prepare something,” Hanji suggested, “Erwin and I will bring the wine, so don’t worry about that, Levi.”

They remained talking a bit about the party, setting up what each would bring and what games they would play. Levi was getting more annoyed by the second, and Eren, upon noticing it, looked at Levi reassuringly. He didn’t take his hand or touch him, knowing they were in a room full of people watching their every move, specially Hanji and Erwin since they had walked in on them in a very compromising position.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of planning, Erwin and Hanji said goodbye and left. Isabel and Farlan stayed for a little while to ask Levi to hang out tonight but he had to reschedule with them because of Eren’s party. The couple didn’t seem bothered by the news. They looked rather happy, actually. After the reason for their visit was resolved, they retired and left Eren and Levi to themselves.

“Soooo,” Eren said, “we’re so going to win Charades tomorrow, right?” Levi snorted quietly at the statement and Eren smiled brightly. He got closer to Levi and kissed him tenderly.

“Sorry we got caught by Erwin and Hanji,” Eren apologized, pulling away and looking at his fidgeting hands.

  
“It wasn’t your fault. Those two will give me a headache with all their teasing but it was bound to come out at some point,” Levi sighed, passing his fingers through his hair.

“You know what will get your mind off all of that?” Eren said very suggestively, leaning close and rubbing his nose lightly against Levi’s. The elder’s hand gripped Eren’s hips before going up his shirt teasingly.

“You’re right, brat. A nice cup of tea and an episode of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ should do the trick,” Levi said before pecking Eren on the lips and moving away to the kitchen.

“You’re an ass!” Levi heard Eren yell from the living room, making him smile for the second time that day, and he had only been awake for 4 hours.

***

After a couple of hours of watching the show, Levi turned off the TV while Eren cuddled next to him.

“To this day,” Eren muttered against his chest, “Zuko can get it anytime he wants.” Levi rolled his eyes but smiled, passing his fingers through Eren’s hair.

“Of course you’d like Zuko,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eren said, raising his head from Levi’s chest to look at him.

“You know, dark, emo, misunderstood guys that are secretly nice and good. Also, he’s hot,” Levi answered but Eren only looked at him for a while before scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“Damn, that sounds about right. Maybe that’s why I like you so much. You’re all mean but you have a soft spot for me,” Eren sang, leaning against him and smiling widely. Levi only grimaced a bit before pushing Eren’s face away, which only made the younger laugh.

“And,” Eren said once he muffled his laughter, “your favorite character is probably Sokka,”

“And why is that,?”

“Because he’s the cute boy who is goofy but also very smart and strong,” Eren explained, grinning widely and moving back to Levi.

“You only assume that because you’re all of those things,” Levi said. Eren nodded, saying, “obviously”.

“Well, you’re wrong,” Levi said, making Eren look at him questionably, “my favorite character is clearly Uncle Iroh.”

“You’re kidding,” Eren said, gaping at him.

“I’m definitely not. He likes tea, I like tea, ” Levi shrugged

“I thought you would like someone like me,” Eren pouted, looking down at his feet.

“I don’t like someone _like_ you, I like _you_ ,” Levi said without thinking but then immediately regretted it. Eren’s head whipped up and looked at him before attacking him. He jumped on Levi and started kissing him all over his face like a dog.

“Brat, I swear to god, I _will_ kick you,” Levi warned, pushing Eren away while the younger only laughed. Finally, Eren pulled away and settled next to Levi before looking at him, biting his lip.

“Are you going to tell me about that porn star?” Levi stared for a little, surprised at the sudden question.

“Do the people I dated in the past really matter to you?”

“No, of course not. All of that was before we met and it’s none of my business,” Eren said but quickly moved to elaborate on his need to know, “I just want to get close to you and get to know you some more. I want to know all about your high school and college adventures.”

“You’ll be able to get to know more about me through time. And I’ll get to know more about you, too. Like who your friends are and what they are like, which I’m doing today, just to get to know you better.”

Eren rose his head and met Levi’s eyes. Levi’s breath hitched quietly, seeing Eren’s eyes so bright and full of affection and insecurity. He saw them glow a little in the afternoon sun that was seeping throughout the living window. He really wanted to lean and kiss Eren, but decided to leave the moment like it was. It was already perfect enough for him.

“Speaking of which,” Eren said, snapping out of his stare, “what time is it?” Levi shrugged before Eren opted to look at his phone.

“It’s already four? Mikasa told me to be home by dinner to get ready for the party,” Eren mentioned, passing his fingers through his hair.

“When does it start anyway?”

“Around ten, I think. Mikasa and I would probably come pick you up beforehand,”

“Eren, I don’t like cars,” Levi looked at him, reminding him.

“I meant pick you up like taking you there. We’re going to walk since it’s not too far and we will be drinking. I’m not going to force you into a car, Levi,” Eren reassured him, holding his hand. Levi nodded, silently thanking him. Levi was really grateful for that, though he didn’t say it. He felt and knew how much Eren was growing to care for him. The way in which he kissed Levi and held his hand and just _looked_ at him showed him that he was an important part of Eren’s life now. It was a large relief to Levi, who also was exploring the feelings that had suddenly deepened. Eren was a comfort he had never known before. Being around the younger always put him in a good mood and warmed his chest in ways he didn’t want to admit out of embarrassment. Eren was slowly worming his way inside Levi’s heart, past affection and past like. He was aiming deeper for stronger feelings and Levi couldn’t stop him or bring himself to even try. All of these thoughts rushed through Levi’s mind and he couldn’t do anything but grab Eren and kiss him deeply, only pulling away to catch his breath and see Eren smile.

After that, Eren decided to go home a little early to make sure Mikasa wouldn’t lose her mind in the house all by herself. He kissed Levi goodbye and told him to be ready by ten, to which the elder said he definitely would. They stayed in each other’s arms at the front door for a little bit before Eren finally moved away and went home.

He walked back to his house and opened the front door when he got there. Mikasa was in the kitchen, getting ready to start dinner.

“You’re back,” she said, kissing him on the cheek as a greeting, “how was your whole day with Levi?”

“We just talked and watched _Avatar: The Last Airbender,”_ Eren answered, which really wasn’t a lie.

“Is he coming?”

“Yes, I told him we will go get him at around ten. We’re walking there, by the way,” Eren mentioned. Mikasa looked at him with a raised eyebrow but didn’t ask, thinking it would be safer to do so if they were going to be drinking.

“Alright. Help me with dinner? Armin should be coming by in a bit to eat with us and head out later,” Eren nodded and went to wash his hands to help his sister.

A couple of hours later, at around six, Armin came and had dinner with them. Just like Mikasa, he asked if Levi was coming, to which Eren answered yes. He hadn’t texted the elder since he had left but decided to just let him know to dress casually and remember that in his friends’ eyes, they weren’t dating. After dinner, Armin stayed in the living room, reading one of the few books the siblings had in their apartment while Eren and Mikasa got ready. Once they had showered and gotten dressed it was already about to be nine thirty. They headed out to Levi’s place only a couple of blocks away. On the way there, Mikasa and Armin stayed quiet, not asking any questions and instead choosing to find out for themselves about Levi. Once they arrived, Eren asked them to wait by the small gate in front of Levi’s house while he talked to the elder. Mikasa hesitantly agreed after Armin encouraged her to follow Eren’s lead.

Eren knocked on the door, his weight shifting from side to side nervously. He really wanted this night to go well and for his friends to like Levi. He bit his lip and became so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even notice the door open.

“Brat, snap out of it. It’s going to be fine,” Levi said, finding it a little endearing that Eren was just as nervous as he was. Eren did in fact snap out of it only to stare at Levi and go spacing out again. Levi was [wearing](https://image.kilimall.com/kenya/shop/store/goods/1781/2017/09/1781_05589824592826270_720.jpg) black jeans with a a _very tight_ black button up that were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his strong forearms that showed his multiple veins. Eren groaned quietly; he was such a slut for veiny arms.

“Brat? Hello? Eren!” Levi said, snapping his fingers in front of his face, “if you stare any more I’m going to make you take a picture.”

“Uh, sorry,” Eren said, shaking his head, “it’s just that that black button up should be illegal.” Levi only smirked before giving Eren a once over.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, shit for brains,” Eren blushed a little before looking down at his own [outfit](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/66/f5/4c/66f54c9e687886a87808050b6d27fb84.jpg). He was wearing regular jeans, a plain white shirt, and a black jacket with tan shoes. He thought he looked pretty normal but nevertheless thanked Levi for his compliment.

“Aren’t you going to be cold? It will be kind of warm at the party but the walk there might be a little cool,” Eren warned, noticing that Levi was already locking his door without a jacket in hand.

“I’ll bear through it. It will only be a couple of minutes,” Levi insisted, waving Eren’s protest aside, “Let’s get back to your sister and Armin. They waited long enough with you dozing off.”

They walked towards them and Levi waved. Armin said hello casually while Mikasa only narrowed her eyes at him and muttered a greeting, letting him know to be specially careful around her. Levi wasn’t threatened by her but knew she was important to Eren so he played nice. They made their way to the club, but since the sidewalk was pretty narrow they had to split into twos with one pair walking in front and the other in the back. Armin and Mikasa got into a small conversation about the theory of thermodynamics that Armin was studying this semester. Eren wasn’t complaining since he got to stay behind with Levi. He was grateful that he didn’t need to feel like the third wheel with Armin and Mikasa talking about intellectual things that didn’t really interest him.

“Are you as nervous as I am?” Eren asked quietly, acutely aware that him and Levi were walking so closely that their knuckled brushed together often. He stretched and contracted his fingers, trying to get rid of the urge to hold the elder’s hand.

“A little,” Levi confessed, but just because he knew only Eren could hear him. The brunette nodded and attempted to ease the elder’s worries by breaking down all his friends and their personalities one by one.

“You already know Armin. He’s intelligent, analytic, friendly but a little shy. Mikasa can be a handful. She is extremely overprotective of me and can act like my mom, which is why she’s kind of being cold and watchful. But don’t worry, she will get used to you. My other close friends are a little crazy. Jean, the one that I told you is dating my friend Marco”—Levi nodded, telling Eren he remembered—“he’s an asshole. He can be pretty competitive and mean but also funny and sincere. His boyfriend is an angel. He can do no wrong and Jean doesn’t deserve him,” Levi quirked his lips up a bit at the comment, liking how Eren talked about his friends and knew them so well. It reminded Levi of his own close friends.

“Sasha and Connie are best friends but we all know they like each other. Connie is just too chicken to ask her out and Sasha is too oblivious about it to do anything. She’s obsessed with food and can eat more than the two of us combined. Connie is kind of the clown of the group. Reiner, the guy throwing the party, is our friend but not really part of our friend group. The same with his boyfriend Berthold. We hang out every once in awhile but not as often as with everyone else.”

“You have a lot of friends for someone who is so annoying,” Levi teased but Eren wasn’t offended.

“You only say that because you have four,” Eren replied, bumping his shoulder against Levi’s jokingly. Levi only glared slightly at him but Eren knew it was all in good fun.

They finally arrived at the club and entered. Immediately, Levi regretted coming. Sure, the party was inside a club but it did not make it seem any less like a frat party.

“There’s a fucking beer pong table in the corner, brat. How is this any different than a college party?”Levi pulled him down and whispered in his ear, the music too loud to have allowed a regular inside voice to be heard.

“There’s a bar? And a dance floor?” Eren offered but Levi still glared at him.

“You’re not even old enough to drink,” Levi reminded him but Eren smiled and shrugged, saying that they never checked IDs at Reiner’s parties.

“Look on the bright side,” Eren whispered, “you look young enough to fit in with us _and_ you get to see me drunk. I either get really angry or really flirty.” Levi turned to look at Eren after he said the last word only to see the younger wink at him. _Since when was this brat so daring?_ , Levi thought but couldn’t follow it since Eren was already pulling him towards the aforementioned beer pong table where a group of people were gathered.

“Jeager! You came just in time to watch me beat Sasha’s ass,” Jean said, making the shot inside the last cup on Sasha’s side, who only groaned before chugging it all down. She stuck out her tongue at Jean once she finished but stumbled to the seat next to the table.

“Don’t brag, Jean,” Eren said, “Sasha is clearly drunk.”

“Shut up, Jeager. Don’t make excuses and play me yourself,”

“Bet,” Eren said, already getting into position only to get stopped by Mikasa, who told him to introduce Levi first. Eren now noticed how Levi was standing by Armin, the only person he knew well enough to have a conversation with.

“Oh, guys!” Eren rose his voice so the group would hear him. The beer pong table was at a corner of the club, away from the dance floor and the speakers, which made it feel a lot quieter. Once everyone’s attention was grabbed by Eren’s sudden yelling, he introduced Levi.

“This is Levi. He’s the friend you’ve all been so eager to meet,” Eren said, directing his eyes to Jean and Mikasa. Levi waved before everyone suddenly started to introduce themselves.

“I’m Jean!” Horseface said, putting out his hand, “I’m the one that gave Eren the idea to invite you.”

Levi grabbed his hand and shook it before saying, “You’re Marco’s boyfriend.” It wasn’t a question, which made Jean blush a little and look away. Said Marco popped out from behind him, introducing himself to Levi as well.

“I’m Sasha!” the brown haired girl in the pony tail said, standing up from her seat and getting so dizzy she stumbled a bit before regaining her balance, “You don’t happen to have any food with you, do you?” Levi jokingly patted his jean pockets before telling her that no, he didn’t have any food. The girl pouted before making her way to her seat. The boy next to her, a bald kid he had seen go to the coffee shop with Eren a while back, waved to Levi, who nodded in acknowledgment.

“That’s everyone,” Eren said, smiling at Levi before going to the other side of the table to play Jean.

“Don’t worry Horseface, you will no longer be remembered as “Marco’s boyfriend”. Tonight, you will go down as “the guy beaten by Eren fucking Jeager at beer pong”.” Jean only huffed, filling up the cups with beer in order to start the game.

“You guys only play one versus one?” Levi asked, remembering that in college he would play in teams of two. He wondered if the game had changed.

“Yeah,” Eren said, “we try not to play teams because there is an odd number of us and we all always fight for Mikasa, who is really the best player.” Levi nodded.

“But we like to keep some rules of the original game,” Jean explained, “if you make one in, you get to go again. If you aim directly for the cup and you make it, that cup is removed. And if you bounce it off the table and you make it into a cup, two are removed, but no one here really knows how to pull that move, except Mikasa, of course.”

The game started and immediately upon Eren’s first turn, Levi knew he was going to lose. Eren simply aimed too high and the balls would only hit the cups in the back, if he was lucky. He went over to Eren’s side before giving him some advice.

“Don’t aim so high. Hold the ball loosely in your hand, aim, and then let your wrist do the work, not your arm,” Levi said and watched Eren nod at him before following his advice. It took Eren a couple of tries to get it but he learned fast and quickly beat Jean.

“That’s not fair! Levi was helping him!” Jean complained before swallowing his last cup.

“It’s not like he threw the ball for me, Jean,” Eren shot back but Jean continued to ask for a rematch.

“Play me again, Eren, and if Levi’s going to help you then he can just play me himself,” Jean said, smirking a bit, thinking he had the upper hand. Eren looked at Levi and told him he didn’t have to play, to which Levi answered that it was fine, he would play that “horseface”. Eren couldn’t help but smile at hearing Levi say the nickname he had for his frenemy.

“Fine, I’ll play you,” Levi said, cracking his knuckles, “but, I won’t drink any of the beers in the cups. Just fill mine with water and every time you make one I’ll pour the beer in a separate cup and drink. I’m not going to have some nasty ass ball in my drink.”

Jean nodded but said “okay, princess” under his breath. He set up his drinks while Levi set up his own water ones. Eren gave him a brand new cup he could drink from, already filled with beer for when Jean made his shot.

“We should play teams next game,” Eren suggested even though they had just talked about why they didn’t play in pairs. But to his surprise, everyone agreed, seeing how they had an even amount of people now so it would be easy to form teams.

“Same rules as with Eren applies, I’m guessing,” Levi said to Jean, “if I make one I get to go again?” Jean nodded and signaled Levi to go first. In under two minutes, Levi had made every single one of Jean’s cups, sometimes aiming straight for them and other times bouncing it off the table in order to get two out of the way. He never missed once, so he was allowed the ball over and over again, preventing Jean from even getting one turn. Before anyone even knew it, Jean had chugged his last cup down.

“Are you a god or something?” Eren said, staring at Levi with wide eyes. Levi only smirked and stretched his arms, making Eren stare shamelessly at the muscles underneath the black button up. Eren then moved his head to look at Jean, who was half drunk half bursting with anger as Marco comforted him. The fact that Levi, his boyfriend, had made Jean feel like a fool (which was Eren’s favorite thing to do) turned Eren on so much, he thought he was going to have to take Levi into the bathroom to savagely make out with him.

“He’s even better than Mikasa!” Connie sputtered out in disbelief. Suddenly, all eyes went to the girl, whose own eyes bore into Levi in an analytic way, as if sizing him up.

“No way, Mikasa could definitely beat him,” Jean protested before urging the girl to play Levi. Finally, after a couple of minutes of encouragement Mikasa gave up and decided to please everyone. She went to the opposite side of the table, getting her cups ready while Levi waited since all his cups were still in tact.

“Good luck,” Eren whispered to Levi before smiling encouragingly. _Damn that brat, now I have to win_ ,Levi thought, rolling his eyes. Once Mikasa was ready, he stretched his arms one last time. As the winner, Levi went first. He knocked down three in a row before missing one, allowing Mikasa to go. She was as ruthless as Levi, throwing each of her balls with perfect precision. She made five of his cups before he was allowed to go again. Levi chugged the beer without complaint or hesitation. Eren sometimes even forgot to fill Levi’s cup with beer again after he had drunk it from how fast everything was moving. The game was intense, none of the players missing a shot for at least three throws. Soon enough, Mikasa’s side had two cups to go while Levi only had one. It was useless to try to bounce the ball since now that Mikasa only had two cups left on her side, the shot would only count as one. Levi would have to aim straight for one of the cups and make it in order to get another turn and get rid of the last one. If he missed, Mikasa would get a chance to get rid of the single cup on his side of the table.

“Eren,” Levi said, not breaking eye contact with Mikasa, “pour me a shot of tequila.” Eren quickly went to get him the bottle and a shot glass from the bar. Connie and Sasha were cheering Levi, urging him to take more than one shot. When Eren came back, Levi drank the shot while making eye contact with Mikasa from across the table. His face remained expressionless, as if he had just drunk a glass of water. Immediately, he felt his muscles loosen up, the tension leave his body. He was ready to make his shot. He gripped the ball in his hand, took aim, and let it go.

It landed right inside one of the cups. Everyone cheered, forgetting that Levi was going against one of their own friends. Mikasa drank the cup quickly before giving Levi the ball back. He wiped it on a napkin before aiming once again. He pondered getting another shot but decided against it. He took aim and let the ball go again. Everyone’s breath caught in their throats, waiting to see if it would land. The ball seemed to go in slow motion, keeping everyone on edge before it finally reached the cup and landed inside. Connie and Sasha screamed the loudest, Eren looked at him with eyes of pure awe, Armin only smiled while Jean and Marco stayed frozen in their seats. Mikasa moved on over to where Levi was, her face almost as expressionless as his. He stopped staring at Eren before facing her. She looked at him for a long while before smiling slightly and saying “good game”. Levi said the same to her before turning back to Eren.

“You were incredible! I’ve never seen anything like that!” Eren said, his eyes still wide. Levi only smirked and passed his fingers through his hair.

“Now you know something else about me,”

“You really are Humanity’s Strongest,” Eren teased, bumping Levi’s shoulder jokingly. He only rolled his eyes before speaking.

“You’re not so bad yourself. You can use a little practice, but with enough work I have hope that you can become really good,” Eren beamed with pride at Levi’s comment.

“So I’m definitely on your team then?” Eren asked a little shyly but smiled when Levi muttered an “of course, brat. If not you, who else?”.

Eren was about to announce it to everyone when he noticed Mikasa. He knew that she probably thought he would team up with her and she would be disappointed, so he decided to give her a heads up.

“Hey,” Eren said when he neared her, “I’m going to team up with Levi. I’m kind of the only person he knows sooo,” He let the last word drag on so she would get the point. Just like Eren thought, she looked a little disappointed but accepted it anyway, saying she would play with Armin.

Once everyone had set up their teams, they began to play. Since they were playing in pairs now, it counted on both Eren and Levi making a shot in order to get another turn, which didn’t happen often with Eren missing most of the time. Still, Levi carried his team the whole way, not losing to Jean and Marco or Sash and Connie, the latter of which was beaten in 2 minutes because of the couple’s intoxication. When they played against Armin and Mikasa, though, they lost by a single cup. With Armin’s strategy and Mikasa’s skill, it was difficult to make it. Levi returned the favor to Mikasa and told her “good game” politely before turning to Eren.

“I’m sorry,” Eren said, biting his lip.

“It’s just a game, brat. Don’t worry so much about it,” Levi comforted him, putting his arm on Eren’s shoulder, which only made the younger lean closer.

“I know we’re both a little drunk from all the playing, but do you want to dance?” Eren said, confidence now making its way into his face.

“I don’t dance,”

“Come on, there are so many people on that dance floor that no one over here will see us,” Eren whispered into Levi’s ear, making him shudder a bit when the brunette’s lips brushed against his earlobe.

“Definitely not,” Levi insisted, which only made Eren pout before huffing and crossing his arms.

“Fine, then I’ll go by myself and you can watch me,” he said, smirking and making his way to the dance floor without slipping inside the crowd. He made sure to stay on the outside edges, where he knew the group would still be able to see him.

“Oh god,” Jean groaned, “Jeager is drunk again. He’s dancing,”

Everyone’s heads turned to the side to look at Eren, who was strutting everything he had without any shame.

“Sorry you had to see this, Levi,” Armin said, coming from behind him to stand next to him, “Eren gets a little flirty when he gets tipsy. You have no idea how he gets when he’s actually drunk,”

“What is he like?” Levi asked, a little curious.

“Well, he doesn’t get too drunk often because he has a pretty good alcohol tolerance, but the couple of times he has gotten like that he has either argued with Jean to the point of a fist fight or….erm,”—Armin blushed furiously while Levi rose his eyebrow in question— “he has tried to get intimate with us.”

“Intimate?” Levi asked, only to have Sasha stumble on to him to answer.

“Oh yeah, one time Eren tried to make out with me,”

“Seriously?”

“Eren can get out of hand like that when he’s really fucked up but he has never gone too far,” Armin said and everyone in the group nodded. Jean even mentioned how they were about to fight once and then Eren just randomly started flirting with him. Marco eased Levi’s worries, though, saying how such events only occur when Eren is really shitfaced and has no idea what’s going on, which is very difficult to achieve with his high tolerance.

“We should totally get Jeager fucked up tonight,” Jean offered, smirking at the group to see if they agreed. They definitely did not.

“Oh, come on, guys!” Jean whined, “Levi has to see him like this. Don’t you guys remember how much fun Eren is when he’s drunk? He would do anything!”

Mikasa and Armin were the ones most against the idea, but they were soon overpowered by everyone else. At one point, even Levi said he would like to see that side of Eren, to which Jean grinned and said, “I love this guy! He knows how to have fun!”

And so the challenge began. They beckoned Eren from the dance floor and ordered a round of shots.

“Eren,” Connie said picking up his shot glass already, “hang on to your dick because shit’s about to get wild!”

“Finally!” Eren laughed and waited for everyone to get their own drinks. They held the shots together and counted down before drinking it. And the night went on like that, turning into a complete blur by two in the morning. In an effort to get Eren drunk, everyone else got swept up and got drunk as well. Even Levi became a little buzzed. At some point, Eren dragged everyone to the dance floor while Jean and Marco shamelessly made out on the former beer pong table.

Once inside the crowd, everyone separated by accident because of the quantity of people and their constant movement. Soon enough, Eren and Levi were alone, buried deep inside the sea of people and away from their friends. The music was louder over here, forcing Eren to whisper in Levi’s ear.

“My friends are trying to get me drunk, aren’t they?” Levi nodded and Eren only rolled his eyes, saying that they always tried to do that sort of thing. Levi stood around Eren, a little stiff and uncomfortable being so close to so many people.

“Loosen up!” Eren said, dancing in front of him like he didn’t care who was watching. Levi looked at him curiously, wondering how the kid could be so brave and energetic all the time.

“Like this,” Eren said, grabbing Levi’s waist with both his hands and bringing their bodies a little closer. He used his hands to guide Levi’s hips and follow his rhythm.

“Eren,” Levi warned but the brunette ignored him.

“No one is watching. All these people here? They don’t know you and even if they did, they would never register it because they’re drunk off their asses. Just let go,” Eren encouraged, gripping Levi’s hips firmly before pulling them even closer together. Levi glared at him but let Eren move him anyways. After a bit he began to feel ridiculous. He looked up at Eren to protest but the younger interrupted him, kissing him instead. Their lips crashed together once again, and Levi completely forgot where they were. His mind became blank, the only thoughts in his head were of Eren. The way his lips moved against Levi’s own, how his hands gripped Levi’s hips before one moved to his waist and the other to his ass (which Levi let slide because he was enjoying it too much to complain), how his body pressed against Levi’s like it was always meant to fit there. Eren didn’t hesitate to shove his tongue into Levi’s mouth while gripping his ass tightly, making a moan slip past Levi. There was something about this brat that just made Levi put down all his walls.

After Eren stole Levi’s move and sucked on his tongue, the elder had had it. He let out a low growl that was drowned in the music. He put one of his hands behind Eren’s head and forced the younger to kiss him again, a little roughly and sloppily. His other hand went up Eren’s white shirt, feeling and mapping out what he couldn’t see. Eren was starting to moan in his ear, provoking Levi a little too much and causing him to buck his hips forward in search of friction. Eren’s head rolled back mid moan, exposing the same tan neck Levi had kissed in the morning. Levi was about to kiss Eren again when the elder moved his neck back down and whispered in his ear.

“We need to get out of here”—he moved to look at Levi in the eyes, the grip on his waist tightened—“ _now_.” Levi nodded and Eren grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the crowd. Once they reached Eren’s friend group, the brunette pulled away from him and shoved Jean off Marco, who only loudly complained and whined. Eren told him something before Jean waved him off and went back to Marco, who was lying on the table, waiting patiently for Jean to return. Eren walked back to him and took his hand, leading him outside.

“I told Jean that I was taking you home and that you apologized for not saying goodbye to everyone,” Eren said once they were outside the club.

“That makes me look bad in front of your friends, specially your sister,” Levi frowned but Eren shook his head.

“It’s not a big deal. If anything, I’ll defend you,” he smiled, fighting his hold on Levi’s hand, which reminded the elder about their intertwined fingers.

They fell into a comfortable conversation on the walk back to Levi’s place, mostly talking about what Levi thought of Eren’s friends. But as soon as Levi opened his front door, the conversation stopped. Like always, Eren attacked his lips, gripping his cheeks and closing the door with his foot.

“You’re like a whole other person when you’re horny,” Levi said when they pulled away for some air. Eren only smirked before kissing Levi again and moving to undo the buttons of the man’s shirt. Levi did the same, pulling Eren’s jacket off and letting it land somewhere, the thought of how it could get dirty never once crossing his mind. All he could think about was how Eren was touching him, kissing him, lighting a fire of pure desire in the pit of his stomach. Eren led Levi to the couch, letting him lay there while he took off own shirt. Levi did the same, slipping off the button up. This time, their positions were reversed from that morning. Eren remained on top while Levi laid on the couch. The younger kissed Levi hungrily while his fingers ran all over his chest, tracing his abs.

“I knew you went to they gym,” Eren said, pulling away to stare at Levi’s chest. Eren didn’t think he had seen anything so hot in his life. Levi only smirked before sitting up to suck on Eren’s pretty collarbones. He moved upwards, searching for the spot that had Eren going crazy that same morning. Once he found it, Eren let out another moan before digging his nails into Levi’s shoulders. The elder only ignored it, his hand traveling from the younger neck down to his chest, where Levi pinched one of his nipples a little roughly. Eren’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, savoring the feeling. Levi’s hand kept traveling down before stopping at Eren’s belt. He touched it before pulling Eren’s hair back. Unsurprisingly, Eren let out a loud moan and Levi raised an eyebrow.

“Are you one of those that like it rough?” Levi muttered against the younger’s ear, blowing a little on it to make Eren shiver.

“If it’s not rough, it isn’t fun,” Eren said without missing a beat, staring at Levi straight in the eyes and smirking.

“Did you just quote Lady Gaga?” Levi’s eyes narrowed while Eren’s smirk dropped a little. He blushed before saying “yes”. Levi then pulled his hair harder, answering with “rough it is then.”

He kissed Eren harshly, biting his his lip and scratching at the area right above his belt. He pulled away and asked for Eren’s permission with just a look. Eren only rolled his eyes and smirked, saying “If you don’t do it, I will”. That’s all Levi needed to pull the belt buckle away and slip his hand inside Eren’s pants. The skin was warm in comparison to Levi’s cold hand, which was why Eren suddenly shuddered. Levi didn’t wait too long before moving his hand, pumping Eren mercilessly and quickly. He gripped Eren’s cock tightly, knowing the younger would probably enjoy the quickness and harshness of the movement. If Eren’s constant moans were anything to go by, Levi would say he was right. He continued to kiss Eren like his life depended on it, nipping at his lower lip and jawline while Eren let beautiful sounds slip from his mouth as he scratched Levi’s back.

At some point, Eren pulled Levi’s hand out and pushed him down so he would lay on the sofa. The younger kissed Levi, pushing his tongue inside the elder’s mouth like he wanted to know every corner. He then moved to the elder’s chest, passing his tongue over one of Levi’s nipples before biting it lightly. Levi wasn’t as vocal as Eren, mostly slipping small grunts and hushed moans, but Eren knew when he was getting to the elder. As Eren moved on from the nipple to suck, bite, and kiss various parts of Levi’s chest, the elder shuddered, letting Eren know he was doing things right. The brunette unclasped Levi’s belt without hesitation before pulling Levi’s pants and underwear down. He kissed the head of Levi’s dick a little before licking it from the base to the tip, all while looking at the elder straight in the eyes. The eye contact was so lewd andso utterly hot that Levi needed to bite his lip and shut his eyes to keep from fucking Eren right then and there. Eren’s touch felt like fire, burning him to his very cells with such intensity that he almost couldn’t take it. Eren kept teasing him, kissing and sucking everything except Levi’s cock. He sucked on his inner thigh and nipped at his navel but ignored the throbbing erection in front of him in hopes of frustrating Levi.

Just when the elder thought he was going to go insane with want, Eren stopped teasing to take all of Levi in one go, making the elder whip his head back in pure pleasure. He gripped Eren’s hair in an effort to anchor himself to the living world, which only caused the younger to moan, a sound that reverberated all throughout Levi’s body. Eren bobbed his head up and down expertly, making it harder and harder for Levi to keep quiet. More and more small grunts and moans would slip past his lips, specially when Eren would use his hands to stimulate the part of his dick his mouth couldn’t take. The younger continued to move his head up and down before stopping at the head to pull back the foreskin and pass his tongue over the slit. Levi shut his eyes tightly at the feeling before involuntarily thrusting his hips upwards. Eren moaned with his dick in his mouth again, letting Levi know that the younger didn’t mind and actually enjoyed it. He pulled at the brunette’s hair to raise his head so their eyes would meet. They looked at each other for a second, a silent understanding passing between them. Eren smirked with Levi’s dick around his mouth while the elder thrusted upwards into Eren’s throat. The taller felt Levi’s head scrape the back of his throat, abusing it over and over but Eren couldn’t care less. The burn it gave him made his head spin and the sounds that were coming from the usually composed male made it that much better. At times, Levi thrusted too hard and went in so deep that Eren had trouble catching his breath. And other times, Levi would hit Eren’s throat and instead of pulling back for another thrust, would remain there, indulging himself in the warmth and wetness of Eren’s mouth. It made it hard for Eren to breathe at all and it caused tears to well up in his eyes and spill onto his cheeks. But he loved it anyway; he enjoyed the pain, specially when it blended with pleasure.

Eren closed his eyes to take in the feeling of Levi’s dick slipping in and out of his mouth with ease, the sound of Levi’s heavy breathing and hushed moans. The knot in his navel became tighter and tighter, the heat in his pants screamed at him to do something. His hand moved towards his boxers, slipping inside before pumping himself to Levi’s rhythm. They continued like that until Levi said Eren’s name loud and clear, warning him that he was close, but Eren didn’t pull away. He continued to touch himself while using his other hand to grip Levi’s hips and keep them in place. With a shake of the leg and a deep sigh, Levi came inside Eren’s mouth. Without hesitation, Eren swallowed before opening his mouth to let out a moan as he also climaxed. Levi’s grip on Eren’s hair loosened before guiding the younger to kiss him. It was a small peck, sweet and soft.

“You didn’t need to swallow,” Levi said, playing with the younger’s hair since Eren had decided to just lay his head on top of his chest.

“I wanted to,”

“I didn’t know you had a thing for face fucking,” Levi said, smirking a little.

“Oh, hush. There are plenty of things I’m into that you don’t know about,”

“But I will find out about them soon, I hope?”

“Obviously,” Eren said, raising his head to smile at Levi and kiss him one more time. They laid there together for a while, none of them sleepy even though it was past four in the morning. They remained still until Eren began to shift in the sofa.

“Are you going to keep moving?” Levi asked, a little annoyed that Eren couldn’t settle into a particular position.

“I’m just a little uncomfortable. My pants are all sticky,” Eren said, making Levi look at him questionably before realizing what that meant.

“Did you come in your pants?” Levi asked, a smirk plain on his face when Eren blushed furiously. Regular Eren and Sexy Eren were really two different people.

“Come on, brat,” Levi said, sitting up before standing, “let’s get you into clean clothes,”

Eren followed Levi into his room, where the elder looked for the biggest pajama pants he owned. He lent them to the younger while promising to wash the ones he was wearing. Once Eren changed, he came out of the room to ask Levi where his washing machine was to clean his pants.

“Are they too tight?” Levi asked when he saw the pajama pants on Eren. They were short on the male, stopping a little under the middle of the calf.

“Nah, they’re okay,” Eren said, watching Levi drop his pants into the machine along with some of his own dirty clothes. Levi had also changed into pajamas, thinking it was time for bed anyway. He assumed Eren was going to stay over so he led the younger back to the room to lay in bed and see if sleep would take them.

They remained under the blanket, cuddling a bit but remaining awake.

“Thank you for coming to meet my friends,” Eren said, his voice soft and hushed. Levi could still see him in the dark, his bright eyes acting as small green flames in the night.

“It’s only fair. You know all of my friends. Not to mention you’re coming to a dinner party with them,”

“Oh, right. I completely forgot about that. We should go to sleep if we want to actually look alive tomorrow,”

“You mean today,” Levi smiled a bit, remembering how when they had first met Eren had mentioned that Levi would be the type to say “today” after the clock struck midnight during sleepovers. For a second there was silence, making Levi think that the younger didn’t get the joke, but then Eren laughed loudly, nuzzling his head into the crook of Levi’s neck for warmth. Levi held him there, smiling a little more widely than he cared to. They talked about nothing for a couple of minutes before Eren fell asleep, dragging Levi with him.


	15. A Smile and an Egg on My Face

Eren woke up the next morning to seven missed calls and twelve texts from Mikasa. Levi was still asleep next to him, a little far away from him since they seemed to have gotten separated in the night. He decided to text Mikasa instead of calling her, not wanting to wake up the elder just yet. Eren let Mikasa know that he had stayed at Levi’s since he was a little too drunk (a lie, but a harmless one) to go back home. He also told her that he would not be going home until later in the night because he would be spending the day with Levi in order to prepare for a dinner party he was invited to. Mikasa had answered immediately, lecturing Eren once again about not letting her know details about his whereabouts. She has agreed to Eren staying with Levi once again, although Eren had a growing suspicion that she knew something else was going on. Either way, he would deal with that later, choosing to focus on his boyfriend for today rather than his sister.

Eren put his phone on the night stand again, turning to see Levi’s back and disheveled hair. _Boyfriend_ , Eren thought, smiling widely. To this day, he couldn’t believe this was happening. He had met Levi three months ago and so much had happened since then. He befriended Levi, learned all about his past and his inner troubles, and then began to date him. Things seemed to be going so fast but so slow at the same time. He was glad that Levi had opened up to him. He was right in the fact that him and Levi were very similar. They had a similar past, one full of loss, pain, and guilt. And while they had both dealt with that grief differently (Eren by pushing those around him away and moping in his bed for months, and Levi by running away and starting a new life to get away from his old one) they had both survived it. Eren knew that the two of them were past the point of suffering but they would never really be “over it” as some people claimed they would be. Some things weren’t meant to be gotten over, only accepted.

Despite all of that, Eren was happy. The pieces of his life were falling together perfectly, forming the picture it was always meant to be. Eren couldn’t help but think that without Levi in his life, without Levi’s puzzle piece, the picture wouldn’t ever be complete. They had spent only a couple of months together since they met, but they had been so filled with trust, understanding, acceptance, and faith that their feelings for each other had become immeasurable by time. Eren didn’t care that he only knew Levi for three months, he liked the elder more than he had ever liked anyone. The connection, the attraction, the pull, the constant yearning he felt when he was around Levi was enough to convince him that time was really only a concept and he refused to let it be a measurement of his feelings.

In that moment, as Eren stared at Levi’s back and felt Levi’s leg against his, the younger couldn’t think of a point in time when he was happier. He scooted closer to Levi, hugging him from behind and trailing kisses from the elder’s head to his ear and cheek.

“Mmm, Eren?” Levi muttered, his eyes fluttering open lightly. Eren hummed in reply, not stopping his kisses or his hand that trailed up and down Levi’s arm. Eren hadn’t seen, but Levi had smiled slightly, the corner of his lips lifting up without any trouble or resistance from the elder. He could get used to waking up like this.

“What time is it?” Levi asked, turning around so he could bury his head into Eren’s warm neck while the taller hugged him tightly and pulled him even closer.

“About to be one, I think,” Eren answered, playing with Levi’s hair until the elder pulled back at the answer.

“That late?” Levi asked, frowning a bit. There was no way he had slept for so long. He _had_ gone to sleep at around four in the morning, but hefully expected to be up and about by seven, or latest, eight. It was weird that he had slept so soundly and uninterruptedly for two nights straight. He had never managed to get more than two or three hours of rest. What was the difference now?

“Yeah, which means we should probably get up some time soon because we should figure out what we will be cooking for tonight,” Eren said, moving Levi’s head back into Eren’s neck. Levi remained there, basking in the heat of Eren’s body and his faint smell of vanilla. He sighed contently, a small smile pulling at his lips, which he hid in the crook of Eren’s neck. Things were good.

“We could probably make something easy, like chicken,” Levi said, already dreading the fact that he would have to act like he was actually enjoying himself. It wouldn’t be hard, though. Levi doubted he would have a bad time. He was going to be with his closest friends (and Eren) so things would really not be insufferable, although he loved to claim that it would be just to keep up appearances.

“Yes! Maybe something like chicken carbonara?” Eren suggested, eyes lighting up at the idea. Levi stared at him and couldn’t bring himself to say no even if he wanted to.

“Fine. It’s easy and good. We will probably have to look at a recipe and go do some grocery shopping, though,” Levi noted, knowing very well that his fridge definitely did not have chicken and his cabinet hadn’t seen pasta since he tried to lay off the carbs.

“That’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do today, anyway,” Eren said, clearly telling Levi that he was planning on staying with him the whole day until the party began. Levi couldn’t complain. He actually let a smirk show on his face at the thought of spending the whole day with the boy that always managed to give him heart palpitations.

They stayed on the bed, cuddled up together under the blanket with the rays of sunshine peeking through the space the curtain had left uncovered. It shone a little onto Eren’s eyes, making the pupils constrict and expose the color of his irises more than usual. Almost immediately upon pulling away from Eren’s neck, Levi became entranced. He stared into the sea of green and blue, the mixture something he couldn’t quite place or understand, only admire. Levi wondered how Eren had managed to get eyes like that; they were simply so godly. Not only were they breathtakingly beautiful but they were honest and true. It was always easy to tell what Eren was thinking and feeling through his expressions, but his eyes always led the way to the deeper mysteries the younger refused to show. Like when they had first met, Levi had threatened Eren for calling him short, and while Eren had looked calmer than most people, his eyes showed fear and caution. Levi noticed the same thing when Eren had opened up to him about his parents on Christmas Day. He could see how the younger was trying so hard to be strong, calm, and pulled together. Although Eren had cried, his tone of voice had remained strong and steady. But like always, his eyes had given him away. Levi could see, clear as day, the pain and the guilt that swam in those pools of green and blue. He could see how Eren had drowned in them and was struggling to catch his breath to this day.And right now, as Eren stared at Levi while cradling his face and brushing his cheek lightly with his thumb, Levi was sure that the feeling in Eren’s eyes was love. 

“You should probably shower,” Levi said, breaking their eye contact but remaining in Eren’s arms, “I will go after you’re done and we can go to the store to pick up the things for dinner.”

Eren smirked confidently, his eyes hooding a little bit. _Fuck_ , Levi thought, knowing this meant Eren would say something provocative. 

“Why don’t we save some water and shower together? The ice caps are melting, you know,” Eren said, his smirk growing wider and wider with each word he said. Levi only rolled his eyes and pushed the younger away with his hand.

“You’re such a brat,” Levi said, moving to get up but got held back by Eren. The younger held him tightly, kissing him all over his face like a dog. Levi tried his best to _look_ like he was trying to fight back.When Eren finally let him go, he gagged and wiped his face in disgust. Eren only laughed, knowing it was all for show but not mentioning it. He instead decided to follow Levi’s advice and went to shower.

A couple of minutes later, Eren peeked his head out of the bathroom door in Levi’s room. He looked at Levi, who was sitting up on the bed, writing down things on a list. Eren assumed he was probably seeing what they would need to buy at the store. Levi noticed Eren’s head peeking from the door before he spoke.

“Are you just going to leave the rest of your body in the bathroom and hope your head can walk around by itself?”

“No,” Eren scowled at Levi’s rude comment but then quickly blushed and looked away, “you didn’t give me a towel or anything and there aren’t any in here.”

“And you’re dripping water all over my floor?” Levi gritted his teeth, getting up to go to the dresser and pull out a clean towel.

“I’m more concerned about the fact that I’m butt naked and there is a little draft but don’t worry, I’ll clean it up,” Eren said, taking the towel from Levi and shutting the door. A minute later he came outside with the towel wrapped around his waist and pointing to the floor, showing Levi that it was dry. Levi only rolled his eyes before seeing all the steam coming from the bathroom.

“Did you bathe in lava or something? It’s like a sauna in there,”

“If my skin doesn’t turn red then the water is not hot enough,” Eren smiled, seeing Levi wrinkle his nose in disgust.

“Put some clothes on. Look around in my closet for something that could fit you,” Levi said, getting his own towel so he could shower as well.

“Why? Am I tempting you?” Eren said, leaning against the door frame with a very suggestive smirk. Levi stared at Eren for a little bit before putting on his own smirk and sauntering over to the younger. He looked up at Eren, his smirk growing wider as he trailed his fingers from Eren’s chest to his stomach to the towel wrapped around his hips. In one quick movement, he hooked his fingers around the fabric and pulled Eren close to him, his smirk unwavering and his eye contact with the younger unbroken.

“Is it a bad thing if you are?” Levi whispered. Immediately, Eren reddened and looked away, only making Levi’s smirk grow wider. He stepped away from the younger, walking inside the bathroom.

“Not so confident when you get a taste of your own medicine, huh?” Levi said as Eren tried to calm down and lessen his blush. Levi chuckled before looking inside the bathroom. It was humid inside from the steam that Eren’s shower had produced. The mirror was foggy, but there was something clearly written on it.

_You’re only short because the world can’t handle so much sexiness in one person~_

The words were written on the mirror with various hearts surrounding it and a couple of winky faces. Levi turned to look at Eren, who was still leaning against the doorframe but facing the inside of the bathroom now to see Levi’s reaction. It seemed that Eren had calmed down since his face was no longer excessively red but was apparently still hot enough to have his hand fan his face. The smirk, though, remained and only grew when he saw Levi had seen the message.

“Tch,” Levi said, rolling his eyes but moving back towards Eren, “you’re such a brat, you know that?”

“ _Your_ brat,” Eren answered bravely, albeit a little worried that Levi would disagree with the bold statement. Eren second guessed himself when Levi only stared at him for a couple of seconds, searching for something in his eyes. Perhaps it was too early in their relationship to say something like that. Just when Eren was about to pull away, Levi muttered “shitty brat” before leaning up to kiss him. It was soft, almost sweet and loving. There was no lust or sexual tension. There was no rush, no urgency or hunger. They didn’t need it. They knew they would still be there after the kiss. They knew they would remain with each other for a long time after this. The only thing present was the need to connect their bodies in order to epitomize their linking souls.

When they pulled back, Eren smiled so widely and brightly Levi was sure he would have to invest in some sunglasses.

“So you liked it?” the brunette asked, his eyebrows wiggling up and down. Levi only rolled his eyes for the nth time and closed the bathroom door on Eren’s face. He could very clearly hear the laugh coming from the other side of the door. Alone in the bathroom, Levi allowed himself to smile wider than he would ever admit.

Once Levi came out of the bathroom, he saw Eren on the bed, looking over the grocery list he had drafted up. He was wearing the jeans he had worn last night, now clean since Levi had washed them. Still, he wore one of Levi’s long sleeved white[ henley shirt](https://cdna.lystit.com/photos/2013/04/24/american-apparel-white-henley-top-product-1-8143484-113570557.jpeg). It didn’t look as tight as Levi thought it would but he attributed it to the fact that while he was shorter, he had more muscle than Eren. It explained why the material around Eren’s biceps looked a little loose. The sleeves were definitely a little short on Eren though, stopping a little above the wrist and making the shirt look awkward. The younger had fixed the problem, however, by rolling up the sleeves to a little under his elbow, making the length of the shirt sleeves look intentional and stylish.

Eren noticed Levi’s staring and blushed a little before scratching the back of his head, showing his embarrassment.

“I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your shirt,”

“I offered you my closet, didn’t I? Don’t worry about it. It looks good on you,” Levi commented before going to his own closet to see what he would wear. He knew it would be a simple trip to the store but he also understood that he would probably not get the chance to change later so these clothes would be the ones he would wear to the dinner party. He stared at his closet for a while before deciding on black jeans, his regular black boots, and a striped dark blue sweater.

When he felt Eren’s eyes on him, he turned around to look at him questionably. Eren only stared at him thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing a little. Levi rose an eyebrow in question, hoping the gesture would clearly show his confusion. But Eren seemed to be somewhere else, staring at Levi but thinking deeply about something else entirely. Suddenly, Eren jumped up from the bed with a bright smile before running to Levi’s closet, lightly moving the elder aside to rummage through the clothes. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he went over to Levi’s dresser and opened the drawers, moving things around and making Levi get a mini heart attack.

“Can you please explain why you’re rummaging through my clothes and messing everything up? I have a system, you know. You can’t just move things out of their place,” Levi said, already walking over to the dresser where Eren was to pull him away from his perfectly organized drawers. When he was half way through, Eren straightened up before looking over his shoulder. He had one of the biggest smiles Levi had ever seen.

“Don’t move!” Eren said, but didn’t turn around. He seemed to have found what he was looking for but didn’t want to show Levi. “Close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes? What the hell are you doing, brat?” Levi moved to take another step but Eren stopped him with his eyes.

“Just trust me! Close your eyes and stay where you are,” Eren insisted. Levi looked at him wearily before sighing and doing as he was told.

“No peeking,” Eren said and Levi heard him make his way towards him. He felt Eren’s breath on his eyelashes, making them flutter a bit. He felt Eren put something around his head lightly before pulling back and holding Levi’s face in his hands. He heard Eren sigh happily before telling Levi to open his eyes.

“You look amazing!” Eren said but Levi thought he would be the judge of that. He went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. He was wearing the dark blue beret Hanji had given him for his birthday. The color matched so perfectly with [his striped sweater](https://i.imgur.com/vTcp41i.png), he wondered if it was all part of a set. The beret wasn’t resting on his forehead like he had seen people wear it. It rested on the top part of his head, letting his bangs fall on his forehead and eyes.

“No way,” Levi said, moving to take it off. Eren rushed to the bathroom and grabbed his hand to stop him.

“It looks absolutely stunning on you, Levi! It matches perfectly with your sweater and it really adds the finishing touch to your outfit!”

“Listen here, Miranda Priestly, I don’t care. This looks ridiculous. I can’t believe Hanji actually bought me this,”

“She got it because you can pull it off! Come on! You look great! Just wear it to the store and then you can take it off! Ms. Zoe will never know you wore it!” Eren pleaded but he could still see the hesitation and stubbornness in Levi’s eyes. This called for desperate measures. The world needed to see how cute and stylish Levi looked!

“Pwease,” Eren said, putting on his puppy dog eyes and pulling out his bottom lip in a pout. Levi stared at him and Eren could practically see the man’s resolve crumbling down. After only a couple of seconds of staring, Levi pulled his eyes away. Eren simply looked too cute. Levi couldn’t handle it. He looked at himself in the mirror one more time. He really didn’t even look _that_ bad. He sighed deeply.

“Only for the store and back. Then it comes off, got it?” Levi grumbled, pointing his finger at Eren to show his firmness. Eren brightened and smiled widely before pecking Levi on the cheek and going to get the shopping list so they could be on their way.

They walked to the store, which wasn’t too bad since it was only a block or two from Levi’s house. Still, Levi insisted on only buying the necessary things for dinner because he did not want to be carrying so many bags back to his place. Eren had agreed and had continued to stare at Levi with such admiration that Levi considered wearing the beret more often.

“Okay,” Levi said, pulling out the shopping list once they arrived at the store, “we need fettuccine, chicken breast, eggs since I ran out yesterday, Parmesan, and parsley.”

Eren nodded, grabbing a cart even though Levi insisted that a basket would be more than enough to carry what they needed. Soon, Levi saw that Eren only chose the cart because he liked to take a running start before jumping on it and letting the cart go by itself. It was beyond childish and Levi thought it was only a matter of time before Eren fell and broke his face. But he didn’t say anything, only shook his head and walked around looking for the ingredients. Once Levi had put everything inside the cart, he double checked the list and the recipe he had found online to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. He was about to tell Eren to head out when the brunette spoke.

“What will we have for dessert?”

“Hm, I didn’t think about that. Fuck. Maybe we can buy a pie or something?”

“No, we should bake something ourselves!” Eren said, smiling brightly at his own idea, like always.

“That’s so much work, brat. We already have to cook. Now we have to bake too?” Levi argued, moving to pass his hand through his hair but stopping half way when he realized he was still wearing that damn beret. He huffed and decided to show his stress by crossing his arms.

“We don’t have to bake anything difficult! A cake would be too much to do so let’s do something smaller. Cupcakes?” Eren suggested, looking at Levi to see if he liked the idea. Levi scrunched up his nose.

“The frosting gets messy,” Eren rolled his eyes at the elder’s reasoning before saying some more suggestions.

“Chocolate chip cookies?” Levi shook his head.

“Lemon lime bars!” Levi shook his head even more adamantly.

“Apple pie?”

“I thought we agreed on minimum effort desserts,” Levi answered. Eren looked around, seeing if something would bring another dessert to his mind. Eren looked at the eggs in the cart and every single dessert that required eggs ran through his head.

“Brownies!” Leviscrunched up his nose again but Eren was at his limit. “Come on! We caneat it with vanilla ice cream! And they’re super easy to make!”

Levi stared at Eren for a little while weighing his options. None of the other things Eren had suggested sounded appealing but he thought he could get by with brownies.

“Alright, fine. But you’re making them,”

“You won’t help me?” Eren pouted, looking at Levi through his eyelashes. 

“Not even to crack an egg,” Levi answered. Eren dropped his pout when he saw that Levi wasn’t going to fall for his trick but he remained optimistic that he would drag the elder into the baking later.

They passed by the baking section when they agreed that they would bake it from scratch rather than buy the mix. Once they had all the ingredients Eren had looked up online, they went to the register and paid. They had only bought the necessary things so they ended up carrying about two or three bags each back home. At some point on their way there, Eren transferred the shopping bag he had on one of his hands to the other so he could reach over and grab Levi’s. The elder had looked a little startled at the gesture but he didn’t pull away. Even though it was a little uncomfortable to carry the groceries all in one hand, Eren let his fingers remain intertwined with Levi’s the whole way home.

On the way there, Eren mentioned that he was hungry and asked to stop by a small cafe to grab a light snack since they would have dinner soon. Levi had agreed and gotten the food to go. By the time they arrived at Levi’s house, it was already a little past five. They ate their snack (Levi had gotten a croissant while Eren munched on a sandwich) and began to unpack the groceries. Immediately, they began the cooking to make sure it would be ready by the time their guests arrived at 7pm.

***

Eren had assumed they would begin cooking the pasta first and then move on to the brownies but Levi thought the opposite, reminding Eren that the cooking time for brownies was longer than that of the pasta. Not to mention that pasta should always be served immediately upon completion.

“Wow, I didn’t know I was dating Gordon Ramsey,” Eren teased when Levi was done explaining everything. Levi only rolled his eyes and told Eren to shut the fuck up. Just like Levi had said, they began on the brownies, pulling out all the ingredients and setting them on the counter to start. Eren read the instructions aloud while Levi did most of the work. Eren had insisted that he had baked brownies before and could help but Levi only answered with “don’t worry your pretty little head about it, brat”. Still, Eren was feeling a little neglected, so when Levi pulled out the flour packet and stared right into it to see how much flour he had, Eren couldn’t help himself. He smiled innocently enough before sneaking behind Levi and crunching the flour packet in his hands. The force made the flour fly up into Levi’s face and all over his hair. Immediately, Eren knew he has fucked up.

Levi turned around slowly, wiping his eyes to get rid of the flour. He huffed out of his nose, flour coming out of it, making him look like an angry cartoon bull. As scared as Eren was, it was just too funny. He began to laugh, disregarding the fact that Levi really did look a little pissed. He kept laughing, tears now coming out of his eyes. Levi only huffed and continued to wipe his face. He thanked the gods he was wearing an apron and none of the flour got on his clothes. Once Eren’s laughing stopped, he walked over to Levi, who was leaning against the counter, waiting for him to explain himself. Eren went over to him and put his hands on the elder’s hips before bending down to snuggle into Levi’s neck.

“Don’t be mad. It was just a joke,” Eren said, not paying attention to the fact that Levi’s hand moved to his back to grab something from the counter he was leaning on. One of Levi’s hands moved to cradle the younger’s nape and pull him up. Once Eren straightened up and looked at Levi, the elder spoke.

“I can’t be mad if we’re even, right?” Eren looked at him, confused.

“Eve—?” Eren asked but was cut off by Levi crushing an egg on his forehead. Eren pulled back with a yelp, the yolk and egg white spilling over his nose and cheeks. Some of the egg shell fell to the floor while the rest remained stuck to his forehead. He gasped and looked at Levi, who was already at the sink washing the hand he had used to crush the egg. He had obviously gotten a bit of the egg on it. He had also gotten a small towel and wetted it to wipe his face from the remaining flour.

He looked at Levi incredulously. Levi stared right back, his lips twitching. Eren stood there, a whole smashed egg on his forehead, the contents of it spilling all over his face and neck. When Eren had gasped, some of the egg had spilled into his mouth, making him gag and splutter. Eren looked so utterly ridiculous that Levi really couldn’t hold back his laughter. It started out very low, almost like a chuckle, before exploding into a wonderful sound. It was smooth, and deep. Levi shook a little, his hand coming up to his mouth to try to stifle it but in vain. It reminded Levi why he never liked to laugh: once he starts, it’s difficult to make it stop. He continued laughing, cupping his mouth and holding his stomach. At some point, he threw his head back, unable to keep anything within anymore. Various times, he snorted a little due to his need to catch his breath mid-laugh.

Eren stared at Levi in complete shock. He froze, afraid that if he made any sudden movements Levi would run away like a scared animal. He completely forgot that he had egg dripping all over his face and neck. He forgot the fact that they were in a kitchen with limited amount of time to cook before the party started. He forgot himself entirely. All he saw was Levi’s lips pulled up, showing his top teeth that shined in the kitchen light. All he heard was Levi’s laughter, a sound he had made his mission to cause and hear but had little hope to ever achieve. He stood there, frozen, staring at Levi shake with laughter with his green eyes full of more than just shock, more than just disbelief, more than just like and affection. He stared the whole time, not daring to blink because he didn’t want to miss a second of this. He concentrated, computing every single part of Levi’s laugh into his memory: the way the elder’s shoulder shook, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled, the way the laughter echoed in the small kitchen. Everything was so perfect. _Levi_ was just so perfect.

Finally, Levi’s laughter died down enough that he was able to control it. He finished with one big sigh before pretending nothing happened. Eren continued to stare at him, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Did…did you just…?”

“Definitely not,” Levi snapped, moving to clean the counter from the flour that had spilled. Then, Eren moved. He grabbed Levi’s wrist and turned him around.

“Yes”—Eren smiled—“you did,” he put his hands on Levi’s waist before gripping it a little tightly.

“I…I really like your laugh. I think I would like to hear it more often,” Eren continued, biting his bottom lip to show his shyness. For a second, Levi imagined if he had never heard Eren’s laugh or seen his smile. He suddenly felt sad at the idea. One of his favorite physical traits about Eren was his smile (second to his eyes, of course) and knew that it was a large part of why he had become so attracted to the younger in the first place. It was then that Levi realized that maybe Eren felt the same way. Maybe he always said those dirty jokes and did childish things to make Levi smile and feel happy. Maybe Eren had been secretly trying to get him to smile and laugh all along.

“Maybe you will,” Levi answered and Eren moved to kiss him but the elder pushed him back.

“You still have egg on your face,” Levi said before pulling away to grab another towel and wetting it.

“Gee, I wonder whose fault that is,” Eren said sarcastically. Levi only rolled his eyes before wiping Eren’s face and reminding him who had started the war in the first place. Eren only huffed and let Levi clean him up.

“You have egg in your hair. You should probably go shower. I’ll take care of dinner,” Levi said but Eren protested, saying that they’re both dirty and should shower together. Levi reminded Eren that their guests should be here in an hour and they couldn’t afford to waste so much time. Besides, flour was nowhere near as messy as egg.

“Oh, please! I know you’re itching to clean up. Your OCD must be going off the charts right now,” Eren said, urging him to just go in with him for a quick shower. Levi didn’t argue back immediately, which showed that Eren was winning. Needless to say, Levi was now quickly shedding off his clothes in the bathroom.

“No funny business. We don’t have the time to do it right now. We have brownies to bake and a whole chicken carbonara to make. Got it?” Levi warned Eren, wagging his finger in his face. Eren put a hand to his heart and showed a face full of hurt.

“Oh, Levi, how you insult me. I would never! Upon my word!” Levi, like always, rolled his eyes at Eren’s foolishness, although he allowed himself to smile a bit. He had already openly laughed in front of the male; a small smile would not be anything new.

And so they showered together quickly to get rid of any of the flour or egg they had in their hair or necks. Levi was partly grateful that he gave in to showering because, just as Eren had said, he felt gross knowing that there could be mere _particles_ of flour in his pores and head. The second reason he was grateful for the impromptu shower was because he had completely forgotten he was still wearing the beret until he saw himself in the bathroom mirror. He knew that if he would have still been wearing it when Hanji arrived, he wouldn’t live to see the day when she would stop teasing him about it.

Once they were done washing up and having a very brief make out session (this time it was really Levi’s fault), they went into Levi’s room to pick out something to wear. Just like before, Eren was forced to wear the pants he had worn all day because Levi’s jeans were really not as easy to put on as his shirts. Thankfully, the egg contents did not reach his pants, so they were perfectly clean and presentable for the night. He scouted Levi’s closet for something nice but comfortable to wear. He strayed away from button up shirts since he assumed they would be too tight and short on him. He opted for a gray [sweater](https://global2019-static-cdn.kikuu.com/upload-productImg-1574269489543_320_234.jpeg?) that showed discreet triangles. The sleeves were predictably short, but once again Eren pulled the sleeves up a bit to hide it. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. He could get used to wearing Levi’s things.

“I think I’m going to steal this sweater from you,” Eren said. Levi turned to him, momentarily putting a halt on the search for his own outfit. He saw the sweater Eren was wearing, a gray one that he had always kept at the back of his closet because he never wore it. It wasn’t that it was ugly or anything; he just preferred his clothes to be on the darker section of the spectrum. He shrugged, telling Eren that if he wanted it, it was his.

“I’ll take it off your hands with one condition,” Eren answered, smiling widely as he went to envelop the half naked Levi. The elder looked up at Eren as he put his arms around the younger’s neck, asking him to state his terms.

“I want you to keep it here, wear it every once in a while, and wash it normally, as if it was your own shirt,” Eren continued, looking down at his feet like he was embarrassed. Levi smiled a bit before moving his hand to bring Eren’s head up so their eyes could meet.

“So you just want the sweater because it’s mine. You only like to wear it because it smells like me and reminds you of me,” Levi teased and Eren grew red immediately, embarrassed that he had been found out.

“How can you just say such embarrassing things with a straight face like that?” Eren muttered, once again avoiding Levi’s eyes.

“How can you say such flirty and suggestive things?” Levi countered.

“That’s different. They are jokes I make to tease you,” Eren explained, finally pulling his eyes back up.

“So you don’t mean them?”

“No! I mean them…most of the time. But sexy things are easier to admit than intimate things…” Eren said, now burying his head in Levi’s neck, a spot the elder was sure had become his favorite.

“I don’t mind saying embarrassing things if they’re true. That’s why I’m so blunt and rude. I’m honest and if something is true, I’m not afraid to say it…most of the time,” Levi said, muttering the last four words because he knew very well he often refused to say things that were true because his pride and image prevented him from doing so (like telling his friends he had very deep feelings for Eren and that the brat was slowly chipping away at his tough exterior, for example).

Eren pulled back from Levi’s neck to look at him. He smiled, happy to know that Levi had mentioned Eren’s intentions with the sweater because he didn’t mind and wasn’t opposed to them. Levi leaned up a bit and kissed Eren quickly.

“I’ll make sure to wear it at least twice a month so you can use it whenever you want to stay over,” Levi promised, subtly hinting that he expected Eren to spend more weekends with him. For once, Eren didn’t miss the hint. He kissed Levi again before pulling away and letting the man pick out something to wear. Finally, Levi decided on a [sweater](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1083/6796/products/product-image-109458055_1024x1024.jpg?v=1571438720) like Eren. It was a navy blue with two grey and one white stripe at the chest.

They moved once again into the kitchen to continue making the food. It was about to be six thirty so they had to try their best to speed some things up. They decided to divide the tasks; Levi would take care of the chicken carbonara while Eren would bake the brownies. Levi was a little nervous about leaving the job to Eren, not because he was incompetent but because he was messy and careless. At hearing Levi’s worries, Eren threatened him with another face full of flour.

Soon, at exactly fifteen minutes to seven, Erwin and Hanji arrived. As promised, Erwin brought the wine, which according to Levi, was quite good and expensive. To Eren, it was just a drink that tasted way better than plain beer. Still, he took notice of Levi’s comment and decided to do some research on wines in case he ever needed to pick one out for a date.

“Eren,” Hanji said once they were in the living room, “you’re awfully early. I mean, you are here even before us and we made sure to come early to lend Levi a hand with whatever he needed. I see that it was really unnecessary of us since you’re already here and helping Levi make the food.”

Eren knew what she meant by the comment; she was subtly implying that he had stayed the night and had spent the entire day with Levi. While it was true, Eren didn’t know if Levi would want his friends to know that so he settled for a neutral answer.

“I just assumed Levi would need some help, that’s all,” he smiled and excused himself to put the wine the couple had brought to chill in the fridge. Levi has stepped out of the kitchen to greet them since he could finally leave the food unsupervised. He was about to greet the guests when he saw the look on Hanji’s face.

“So, Eren is here pretty early, isn’t he?” she said, rocking back and forth on her feet to look innocent, but Levi knew better.

“I know what you’re trying to say Shitty Glasses but you’re wrong. He has only been here a couple of minutes,”

“Are you sure about that? Because, correct me if I’m wrong, but the sweater Eren is wearing is very similar to one you wore in, oh I don’t know, Mike’s Thanksgiving two years ago,” Hanji smirked, knowing Levi wouldn’t be able to deny something so specific and true. She watched how Levi’s face remained expressionless save for a small twitch in his left eye. _Gotcha_ , she thought.

“That’s ridiculous. How can you possibly remember something so trivial from two years ago?” Levi said, unwavering under her knowing gaze.

“Well,” Erwin butted in, “now that Hanji mentioned it, I do remember seeing a sweater like that on you. I actually think I may have a picture of us if it really was at Mike’s Thanksgiving two years ago.”

Hanji looked at Levi triumphantly as Erwin pulled out his phone to go through his camera roll and find the proof. Levi sighed deeply, knowing he was found out because he did in fact wear that sweater two years ago. He just didn’t think anyone would remember.

“Yep”—Erwin held out his phone—“here it is!”

It really was there. The whole group gathered together around the table with the biggest turkey any of them had ever seen. Levi was dead in the center, squished between Erwin and Hanji, an annoyed look on his face as he looked away from the camera. Just then, Erencame into the room, undoubtedly proving that the sweater he had on was the exact same one Levi was wearing in the picture on Erwin’s phone.

“Levi, I think the pasta is done. Go check, though, just in case,” Eren said. All of the eyes were on him for a solid minute beforethey all moved to Erwin’s phone and went back to Eren.

“Why—Why are you guys staring at me like that?” Eren asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot to show his nervousness.

“Oh, Eren, sweetie,” Hanji said, “it’s really nothing. You just look very nice tonight.” Eren blushed before thanking her and going back to the kitchen because they were seriously creeping him out.

“Alright, fine,” Levi said once Eren was out of earshot, “he’s wearing my sweater. Whatever, big deal. That doesn’t mean he spent the night here. He could have spilled something on himself,”

“Well, did he?” Hanji asked.

“Maybe,” Levi answered, crossing his arms.

“Oh, he soooo slept over,” Hanji squealed, practically bouncing up and down. Levi only rolled his eyes and moved to go back into the kitchen but Hanji stopped him.

“Levi, you need to tell us everything that happened! Don’t forget that we did kind of catch you guys making out on the couch. We just want to know if this is for real. Or are you guys just fooling around? Because I really do like Eren and I’d hate for him (or you) to get hurt,”

“Look”—Levi passed his fingers through his hair while sighing—“I’ll tell you guys later. Just keep to yourselves for now. No funny business,” Levi directed the last part at Hanji, looking at her in the eyes to let her know that he was talking mainly to her.

He went back to the kitchento see Eren bent over, looking inside the oven to check out the brownies. His ass was up in the air, which was hugged way too well by his jeans if Levi was being honest. The whole scene was taunting him.

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered, averting his eyes and clenching his fists to keep from grabbing at it. Eren heard him and straightened up, closing the oven.

“They’re still not done. They should be in like 10 minutes though,” Eren said while Levi moved to check on the pasta. It really _was_ done, just like Eren had said. He turned off the stove, drained the pasta (while saving some of the pasta water), and tossed it in with the chicken and bacon that were already done. Eren watched him toss everything together and moved a little closer than necessary to the male.

“They know you’re wearing my sweater, by the way,” Levi mentioned before sniffing the air a bit. Was Eren wearing his cologne?

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think they would notice,” Eren said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Don’t worry. They were bound to find out some time. I mean, they _did_ already see me on top of you the other day. It can’t get any worse than that,” 

“You’re right. You sure you don’t mind?”

“Yes. But let’s officially break it to them another time. I don’t know if I can handle so much happening on the same day,” Levi answered, pouring the egg mixture that he had just been making over the pasta before tossing it all together again.

“Of course! They’re _your_ friends. We can tell them whenever you want,” Eren answered before looking around quickly and pecking Levi on the cheek. Levi rolled his eyes before covering the food with atop so it wouldn’t get cold. Just then, there was a knock on Levi’s door.

“I’ll get it!” Hanji yelled from the living room.

Predictably, it was Isabel and Farlan. They greeted everyone before helping set the table. They all sat down, eating immediately because they were quite hungry. Erwin’s bottle of wine was soon gone as everyone helped themselves. Even when they were done eating, they remained at the table for a while, just talking and telling stories.

“So, of course,” Farlan was saying, “I asked her to marry me as soon as we were out of the orphanage. We’ve been married for 10 years now,” Isabellooked at her husband fondly before blushing and kissing him on the cheek.

“Awww! Isn’t that the cutest thing?” Hanji squealed once again before intertwining her fingers with Erwin’s, who smiled widely and kissed her. Eren and Levi were staring at each other from across the table, longing to show affection but knowing it wasn’t the time.

Soon after they were done eating, they moved to the living room, about to start their game of Charades. They decided to be in three teams of two because Isabel couldn’t “possibly play with anyone but my honey boo”, as she had said. It was really no coincidence that Eren and Levi ended up on the same team. Eren had leaned over and whispered in his ear, “show me what Humanity’s Strongest can do.” Levi had only smirked before brushing his shoulder lightly against Eren’s.

“Okay, Levi, you start since you’re the host,” Hanji said. They had already divided the charade cards and were ready to begin. Erwin handed him the card and he looked at it. he scoffed before beginning.

He looked directly at Eren and held up one finger. Eren nodded, understanding that Levi meant it was one word. Levi made a movement with his hand, moving up and down lightly. He separated his legs and passed his hand through them before jumping up and showing a flick of his wrist. Eren would know that move anywhere.

“Basketball!” he jumped up from the couch in his excitement. Levi nodded and let a smirk show on his lips. It hadn’t even taken 30 seconds. They high-fived before sitting down and moving the turn to Hanji’s team. Since they were playing with three teams rather than two, the turns were a bit weird. Hanji’s team would pick for Levi’s, Levi’s would pick for Isabel’s, and Isabel’s would pick for Hanji’s. It seemed a little convoluted at first but they quickly got used to the routine.

After a couple of rounds, it was clear that the best players were Levi and Isabel. Levi always kept a cool head, not getting frustrated or overwhelmed when Eren didn’t understand his gestures. He was also incredibly good at reading Eren and what he meant by his miming. He had always been good at identifying Eren’s facial expressions and gestures, so he knew it was only a matter of time before they won.

But he had severely underestimated the connection Isabel and Farlan shared. They _had_ spent their whole lives together and were now married. They had a connection neither of the other two groups would understand or achieve for a long time. While Isabel was a little slow at deciphering her husband’s gestures, she was really good at acting them out. She often got a little excited when she knew Farlan would know the word by simply one gesture, whichshowed the amount of inside jokes they shared. Needless to say, her team was ahead of Levi’s team by three points.

Hanji’s team, on the other hand, was lagging behind a little more. This was mostly because Hanji often got too excited when acting out the words and would move way too quickly to differentiate one move from the other. But they made up for that with Erwin’s intelligence and decoding skills. On the other hand, they also lostcouple of points because when it came to Erwin’s turn to act out words, Hanji would also become overwhelmed with excitement and would spill out every word that came to her mind even if it had nothing to do with what Erwin was acting.

It was a close game but Isabel and Farlan won. Eren made sure to show his disappointment by pouting incessantly and making Levi wish he would have guessed more words correctly. But Eren managed to comfort himself and everyone else with the brownies they made. Only Levi decided to eat the brownie by itself rather than with a scoop of ice cream. He insisted that it would just be too sweet and rejected the bite Eren had offered him.

“Levi, these brownies are amazing!” Isabel said, popping a piece in her mouth before letting out a small sigh.

“Actually,” Levi said, “Eren made them,”

“Oh,” Isabel said before quickly complimenting Eren and sparing Levi the questions.

“We should play another game!” Hanji said, finishing her dessert and walking to the kitchen to put it in the sink. She came back with two half empty bottles of tequila Levi kept in the cabinet closest to the stove. He sighed, wondering how she had found them. He had changed their hiding spot four times now.

“We’re playing Never Have I Ever!” Hanji said, bouncing over to coffee table in the couch to put the bottles down. She went back into the kitchen to bring the shot glasses.

“Hanji,” Isabel said, already sitting on the floor to pour her shot, “I think we’re going to be getting along _very_ well,”

And so everyone else got roped into playing “that fucking stupid high school game”, as Levi had called it. While he had protested, Hanji reminded him that this was a perfectly fun way to get to know each other better. Soon, Levi was outnumbered and he was forced to sit on the floor by the coffee table.

“I’ll start,” Hanji said, “Never have I ever lent someone my grey sweater that I wore at a Thanksgiving celebration two years ago,” she grinned and looked directly at Levi, who huffed and took a shot.

“Oh, I see how it works!” Eren said, turning to Levi too and smirking, “Never have I ever dated a porn star,”

Levi glared at him but took another shot.

“My turn,” Erwin said, also staring directly at Levi, “Never have I ever gotten an eyebrow piercing as a dare,”

Levi once again, glared at the blonde before pouring himself another shot and drinking it.

“Never have I ever stolen food from an orphanage,” Farlan said, smiling innocently.

“Fuck you, Farlan. I did that for us,” Levi protested before taking yet another shot. As high as his alcohol tolerance was, he had just taken four shots back to back and was already feeling the effects. Before Isabel could take her turn, Levi spoke up.

“Never have I ever caused _multiple_ fires in my high school chemistry lab,” he said, staring right at Hanji who grumbled “it was only four,” before taking her shot. Levi turned towards Eren.

“Never have I ever quoted Lady Gaga before giving someone a blowjob,” Eren blushed to the whites of his eyes before taking his shot and grimacing at the taste.

“Wait, how would you know—“ Erwin began but was cut off by Levi, who looked straight at him.

“Never have I ever been so drunk that I tried to chop off my own arm,” Erwin rolled his eyes and took a shot. Levi finally went to look at Farlan.

“Never have I ever been in love with my wife since we were 7 years old but waited over 8 years to even ask her out,” both Farlan and Isabel blushed furiously before Farlan drank his shot. Levi smirked, looking around the table, silently challenging someone to come for him again. 

“Let’s move this to a lighter note,” Isabel said, trying to keep this from turning into a game of exposure, “never have I ever been obsessed with One Direction,”

Eren sighed and took a shot. Hanji laughed and Erwin snorted. Levi only shook his head with a small smile on his lips.

“Okay, so the round goes back to me,” Hanji said before putting a finger to her chin to show she was thinking, “never have I ever hooked up with my teacher!”

Everyone looked around because if no one had actually done that then Hanji would have to drink instead. Eren sighed deeply and took a shot, once again grimacing at the taste. Everyone stared at him with surprise, even Levi looked a little shocked.

“I didn’t know he was my teacher when we met!” Eren explained, wanting to show that it was just a simple misunderstanding rather than “sex for As” situation. The turn moved to Eren.

“Never have I ever had sex in a park,” Isabel looked away, Farlan blushed. They both took a shot. Levi muttered “fucking gross.”

“It’s more fun than you think, Levi,” Farlan said, making everyone in the circle blush as well. Erwin went with his turn.

“Never have I ever had a role playing kink,” Erwin said, aiming the shot at Hanji but was surprised to see that both Levi and Eren took a shot along with the woman. No one asked what it was about.

“As long as we’re in the topic of kinks,” Levi said, smirking at bit, “never have I ever been face fucked,”

Eren groaned quietly before taking a shot. He was already getting more than tipsy and he noticed that Levi was as well since he was saying such bold statements in front of his friends, who weren’t supposed to know that they were together.

“Alright,” Isabel sighed, “I don’t know how this turned into a game about who has the most kinks and who has slept with the most people but I’ll bite. Never have I ever had a BDSM kink.”

“I hate all of you,” Eren said, pouring himself another shot, “and before you judge me, I mean things like blindfolding, tying up, and things like that. I don’t mean a sort of dominant and submissive type of thing.”

“In that case…” Levi trailed off, taking the shot with Eren. Hanji sighed and did the same. Erwin tried to get out of it but Levi stared him down. Isabel and Farlan took their shots without anyone noticing.

The game continued like that for a while until everyone had their fair share of alcohol. It was soon a little past two in the morning when Hanji and Erwin decided to call it a night since they had to work early the next day. Soon after, Isabel and Farlan also left, claiming they were tired and needed some rest. They all thanked Levi for the food and for hosting the party before they promptly departed. The two couples noticed how Eren had not mentioned anything about going home just yet, but they decided not to say anything.

“I have to admit,” Eren said, “that is _not_ how I imagined you finding out about my kinks,”

“Tell me about it,” Levi sighed, sitting down next to Eren on the couch, “so roleplaying and BDSM, huh?”

Eren rolled his eyes before putting his arm around Levi’s waist.

“If I remember correctly, you also have those kinks so don’t judge me,” Levi only smirked before leaning into Eren.

“You shouldn’t judge me for dating a pornstar. You slept with your teacher,”

“It was an accident!” Eren protested, trying to pull away but Levi held on to him.

“I’m just teasing,” Levi said, pulling Eren lightly into a kiss. Their tongues found their way to each other again. Hands wandered while lips moved together slowly and passionately. Levi felt heat pour out of his chest and spread all over his body. His face heated up and his toes curled inside his shoes. Meanwhile, Eren’s body longed to feel and touch every inch of Levi’s body. His hands moved from Levi’s cheek to his neck, down to his collarbones and chest. His body burned with an incessant need to be touching, _feeling_ Levi against him. It overwhelmed him. They pulled back for air and stared at each other. Somehow, something so small and intimate had left both of them more breathless than the other kisses they had shared.

“I-I can’t stay over tonight,” Eren said, looking a little disappointed that he had to leave Levi after spending the whole weekend together, “Mikasa texted me a couple of hours ago reminding me that I have class tomorrow. I also haven’t been home in, like, two days so I should probably go back at some point.”

Levi nodded, acknowledging that Eren was right but disappointed nonetheless. He walked the taller outside, kissing him goodbye briefly before parting ways. Just when Eren crossed the fence past Levi’s yard, he turned around and smiled brightly. He waved enthusiastically and blew a kiss. Levi only rolled his and moved to leave. But just before he closed the door, he saw Eren standing there, pouting that his kiss had been rejected. Levi sighed, shaking his head lightly before stepping out briefly, making eye contact with the brunette, and making the action of catching the kiss in his hands. Eren’s pout turned into a bright smile before laughing quietly and walking away.

Levi stood inside his house, back against the door he had just closed. He sighed, trying to mentally calm the heart that was frantically trying to beat its way out of his chest. But it was in vain, his heart kept going, faster than he had ever felt it. He sighed once again, knowing exactly what this meant.

_Goddamn it Eren_ , he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The picture of that guy with the beret is Xiumin from EXO.   
> Stan EXO, stan KPop (recommend EXO, BTS, Blackpink, GOT7, Seventeen, SHINee, BIGBANG, 2NE1, SNSD, Twice, NCT, SuperM. Some are old bands some are new but they're all really good!)


	16. The Flowers that Bloom from Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mature content ahead

The next month passed just like that. Eren met with Levi at the coffee shop every afternoon, sometimes with Isabel and Farlan. They would spend most weekends together at Levi’s place, watching _Avatar: the Last Airbender_ and making out furiously. By this point, Eren had also had his fair share of blowjobs.

At some point in that month that Eren and Levi spent together, Mikasa began to notice how much time Eren was hanging around with the raven and his friends. She had promised Eren that she would be more lenient with him and stay out of his life more, but her patience was growing thin. She had expected Eren to tell her at some point about whatever was going on between them but he had made no moves yet. She didn’t even know if he had any intention of doing so. She knew something fishy was going on. One day, she just decided to ask about it straightforwardly.

“Eren, there isn’t… anything going on between you and Levi, is there?”

Eren shifted in his seat at the sudden question. He looked at her but didn’t meet her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Is there something more than friendship happening between you guys?” Mikasa noticed the tint of pink on Eren’s cheeks.

“No,” Eren said firmly, but his eyes still didn’t meet his sister’s, “We’re just friends. We actually have a lot in common so we get along. That’s why I’ve been spending so much time with him.”

Mikasa stared at Eren for a while, her eyes narrowing. She couldn’t read anything in his eyes because they weren’t looking at her. She sighed and let the subject go. She knew she would find out at some point.

And she did just that four weeks later.

***

The week leading up to Valentine’s day was specially weird for everyone around Eren.He seemed to be strangely excited about what was supposed to be his least favorite holiday. Whenever Eren is single he openly criticizes the holiday and claims it to be a hoax on all the singles in the world. But every time his relationships or flings happen to coincide with the day, he would become infatuated with it, insisting it was the best time of the year. As far as his friends knew, Eren wasn’t seeing anyone so it was really more than confusing to see the student so excited for the holiday.

It was specially weird when the singles in the group tried to make plans together and Eren had refused. Jean and Marco and Reiner and Berthold had already made their own plans, as expected. But for Eren to deny the singles reunion they held every year was more than suspicious. The brunette had said that he would prefer to spend time at home alone, probably watching romantic comedies and gay porn, not necessarily in that order. His friends were particularly dubious about his claim but they decided to let it slide.

But when Mikasa said that she would not be able to attend either because she had to work, the group decided to just call the whole reunion off. There was really no point when the people attending would be only Armin, Sasha, and Connie. So, it was decided that ever single in their group would spend Valentine’s alone this year.

Of course, there was no need to be a detective to know that Eren was clearly planning something. More than once Armin caught Eren looking up “valentine’s day ideas” on his computer search bar. Mikasa saw Eren watching romantic comedies with a notepad on his hand. Sasha spotted Eren at a flower shop the day before the holiday, looking at various kinds of flowers before buying bouquets of white, pink, and red roses. She tried to ask him about it, but the bakery next to the shop just smelled _sooooo_ good that she completely forgot she had ever seen him. 

Levi and Eren hadn’t talked about the holiday at all. With Eren not wanting to mention it because of the surprise he was planning and Levi completely forgetting that the holiday even existed,the subject didn’t even come up. Eren was glad for that, though, because he wanted the surprise to be perfect.

Levi had only realized what day it was when he had walked into the coffee shop and was blinded by bursts of pink and red. All around the shop were Valentine’s day decorations that were being set up by Christa and Haru. Red hearts and small winged Cupids hung from the ceiling. The tables were covered in pastel pink tablecloths with small bouquets of roses in the center. The drink of the day was _I love you a latte._

“Fucking gross,” Levi muttered, rolling his eyes and walking quickly to his office. Soon, Erwin came in and put a card on his desk.

“Look at what Hanji left on my desk this morning,” Erwin said, sitting down and smiling widely.

On the cover of the card there was a cup of coffee with steam coming out of it and forming a heart. Inside, in Hanji’s messy handwriting that made everyone wonder why she wasn’t a doctor, was the phrase “You’re so hot I cannot _espresso_ my love for you”.

Levi snorted before rolling his eyes and giving the card back to Erwin.

“So,” the blonde drawled, “are you doing anything with Eren today?”

“Why makes you ask that?” Levi eyed him closely.

“Levi, we all know that something is going on. You already explained everything with the sweater the day after the party. You can’t deny this anymore,”

Levi supposed that Erwin was right. Hanji had shown up at his apartment with Erwin at the break of dawn, bombarding him with questions as he got ready for work. He had given them small details but they were enough to let the couple know that Levi was actually in a serious relationship for the first time in years. They had supported him, specially Hanji, even though they knew Eren was a little young for him. But they didn’t say anything because they knew Levi knew that, and to be honest, Eren was an adult and it wasn’t a big deal. Besides, they had never seen Levi look so content with life. He seemed looser, less tense, more willing to show smiles and produce chuckles.

“Whatever. We’re not planning anything. I don’t even think we’re seeing each other today,”

“What? But it’s Valentine’s day!”

“Eyebrows, don’t be so dramatic. There is nothing special about this day. It was a holiday created by the chocolate industry to make more profit,”

Erwin rolled his eyes at the stupidity of that whole comment.

“You’re impossible,” the blonde said before simply walking out of the office.

Hours later, Levi checked his watch and saw that it was around the time when Eren would be sitting outside in his usual booth, studying and writing papers. He decided to take his tea break now and talk to the damn brat.

He was bitterly disappointed, however, when he walked outside and Eren wasn’t in his usual booth at all. In fact, there was a group of high schoolers in Eren’s booth, eating and hanging out, completely oblivious to Levi’s glare. He looked around but didn’t see the younger anywhere. It was beyond strange.

“Looking for Eren, Mr. Ackerman?” Christa asked, noticing how he was standing behind the counter idly.

“Tch,” was the only thing Levi said because Christa was already giving him a knowing look and a satisfied smirk. He decided to evade the question and go back to his office, his tea forgotten.

***

It was around five o’clock that Levi left the coffee shop, leaving Nanaba in charge of the rest of the afternoon shift because Erwin had left early for his date with Hanji. He walked home in the chilly air. The thoughts of Eren and his absence plagued his mind and no matter how many times he tried to get rid of them, they remained there. During work he would manage to distract himself a bit but they somehow kept coming back to bother him. Eren hadn’t let him know he would be absent. He actually hadn’t heard from the younger at all today. That was awfully suspicious since it was Valentine’s day. Levi sighed, putting the key inside his lock once he got home.

“If this brat is planning something, I’m going to kill him,” he muttered, pushing the door open.

As soon as he opened the door, he knew he would have to kill Eren.

The floor was completely covered with white rose petals, making a trail that would lead him somewhere. He walked in and took off his coat. He quickly followed the trail and saw how the rose petals changed from white to pink to a bright red. He stood in front of his bedroom door, where the trail had stopped. He bit back a smile at how cheesy this all was. He bet his next paycheck that Eren would be naked on the bed with a rose in his mouth. The image flashed in his mind and his breath hitched. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

He pushed the door open. Surprisingly, the trail continued. The rose petals led to the bed, where there was a large heart, also made of rose petals. Eren laid in the center, fully clothed and curled up a bit with a bright and beautiful flower crown on his head. The only problem was that Eren was asleep. Levi snorted, thinking that Eren had probably laid in bed to wait for Levi but had accidentally fallen asleep. The elder sat on the corner of the bed, being careful no to wake the brunette. He laid down and faced him. He hadn’t seen Eren asleep for a long time because they were trying to keep their sleepovers to a minimum due to Mikasa’s suspicions. He looked at Eren, his head on the pillow, crushing some of the roses and leaves that made up his flower crown.

In that moment, Levi didn’t know if Eren had ever looked more beautiful. His face looked so peaceful, so relaxed. His tan skin glowed in the sunlight that was seeping through the window as the sun began to set. His hair fell over his cheeks and his lips parted ever so lightly. Eren just looked so comfortable, so gorgeous, so fucking perfect.

“You shitty brat,” Levi whispered, bringing his hand up to cradle Eren’s cheek. He rubbed his thumb against the tan cheek lightly. The skin felt so soft against the pad of his thumb. It moved lower, touching Eren’s pink lips. His thumb drifted away before he replaced it with his own lips. He pressed them gently against Eren’s, not wanting to wake him but not being able to resist himself. He pulled back to stare at his boyfriend once again, not having enough willpower to hold back a smile at the sight before him.

Then, Eren stirred a bit before his eyes fluttered open. At the sight of Levi in front of him, smiling gently, Eren smiled right back, albeit a little sleepily. Suddenly, he remembered why he was in Levi’s room in the first place. He shot up from the bed, flower crown forgotten on the pillow as he stared at Levi with his mouth open. He then looked around, his eyes drifting from the trail of roses to the petals that were supposed to form a heart on the bed but no longer resembled any shape since they had gotten separated by Eren’s impromptu nap.

“Surprise?” Eren said unsurely, red dusting his cheeks as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. Levi raised himself up from the bed, grabbing the flower crown that was on the pillow. He neared Eren, facing him head on before gently putting the crown on his head. Levi watching Eren carefully and admired how the blush on his face was the same color as the roses on his head, how the green of the leaves highlighted his eyes, how his tan skin looked like it was dipped in gold in the shades of orange and red that flowed into the room.

“Thank you for this,” Levi said, looking at Eren right in the eyes to show that he meant it. Eren stared at him for a little, processing what he had said before breaking into a wide grin and kissing Levi passionately.

“I’m so glad you like it!” Eren said once they pulled away, his forehead against Levi’s because he was unwilling to leave the elder’s proximity.

“It was a little cheesy, but very cute. I was kind of expecting you to be more naked, though,” Levi admitted, smirking a little when Eren’s face passed through seven shades of red. Then, something flickered through Eren’s face and he smirked so seductively that Levi knew _exactly_ where this night would go.

“That can be arranged,” he muttered, moving to kiss Levi gently again.

“Oh, yeah?” Levi challenged, already leading Eren to lie down on the bed. Eren smirked, looking like he was about to say something but Levi cut him off. He kissed the younger a little forcefully, his forehead pushing back the flower crown on Eren’s head. Levi’s hands trailed down from Eren’s neck to his chest to his waist. He gripped the skin there tightly before moving down to Eren’s hips and pulling up his shirt. When he discarded the shirt the flower crown had fallen off.

“Put on the crown,” Levi whispered, moving down to catch Eren’s neck in his lips.

“You like it that much?” Eren asked, mouth opening up in a quiet moan when Levi bit down before wiping his tongue over the teeth marks.

“I want you to wear it all night. It looks stunning on you,” Levi whispered against Eren’s ear before swiping his tongue along the lobe while his finger found its way to Eren’s nipples. He pinched one in between his pointer finger and his thumb as he continued to lay kisses and suck on Eren’s neck. The younger’s back arched as he gripped Levi’s hair and shoulders for leverage. Levi moved lower, his lips now reaching Eren’s other nipple, kissing it tenderly before flicking his tongue against it and then roughly biting it. The noise that came out of Eren’s mouth was loud and embarrassing, but the two of them were too caught up in each other to mention or acknowledge it.

Levi worked his way down Eren’s body with painful patience, kissing and sucking on every square inch of skin he could find. He nipped at Eren’s stomach, sucked on his navel, ran his nails along the underpart of the younger’s thighs. Eren was a mess by the time Levi arrived at his jeans. After a second of eye contact, Levi unbuckled Eren’s belt and threw his pants aside, only slightly aware that they were on the floor and would most likely get wrinkly and dirty. But there were more pressing issues at the moment.

“Take it off,” Eren pulled at the rolled up sleeves on Levi’s shirt. The elder smirked before moving to unbutton each button individually. Eren growled at the elder’s patience before sitting up and ripping the shirt apart, popping off the last three buttons of the shirt.

“Hey!” Levi protested, “this is John Varvatos!” Eren pulled Levi’s shirt off his chest and arms before moving down to unbuckle Levi’s own belt.

“I don’t care. I’ll buy you a new one,” he tugged at Levi’s pants, silently asking he elder to help him.

“I highly doubt you can afford it,” Levi answered but let the subject slide because now his pants were off and him and Eren were left with only their boxers. He kissed Eren again and Eren kissed back just as fiercely and desperately. When they pulled apart, Eren openly stared at Levi’s chest and ran his finger through it, tracing the elder’s abs.

“Have I told you how much I love your body?” Eren murmured, not tearing his eyes away from Levi’s chest. The elder only smirked and rolled his eyes, pushing Eren back on the bed.

“Only every time you see me shirtless,”

Levi moved back down to Eren’s stomach, slipping his fingers through the seam of the underwear and pulling it down. Eren’s eyebrows scrunched up at when his dick felt the cold air of the room. Levi’s eyes traveled up, his breath hot against Eren’s dick, knowing what it was implying. Eren stared at him and moaned a little at the erotic view. But when Eren was expecting Levi to envelop him with his mouth, the raven’s head only moved a little lower to the younger’s thigh. He kissed and nipped at Eren’s inner thigh, leaving various marks and bruises. Every few seconds Levi would move closer and closer to Eren’s throbbing erection, marking his inner thighs and gripping his hips but not touching Eren at all. At some point Levi was biting a part of his inner thigh that was so close to Eren’s dick that Levi’s cheek accidentally brushed against it. At that simple sensation, Eren couldn’t help but buck his hips in need.

“Levi,” Eren whined, one of his hands gripping at Levi’s hair, the other bunching up the sheet beneath him. Eren got a memory of him doing the same thing the first time he had blown Levi, just teasing the hell out of the older to work him up. But now he wished Karma wasn’t such a bitch. Levi looked up and stared at him, eyes dark, lustful, wild. Eren stared back, lips pink, eyes hooded, flower crown crooked on his head.

“Please,” Eren whispered. Levi’s breath hitched and in a matter of seconds all of Eren’s cock was in his mouth. The younger gasped, his back arching involuntarily. Suddenly, Levi was sucking and running his tongue all over Eren’s head with such ferocity and hunger that the younger was afraid he would come right then and there. After a few minutes, Eren couldn’t hold on any longer.

“If you keep…oh fuck… I won’t…” Eren tried to say but his words were being cut off by his moans because Levi was being a little fucking tease. Then Levi looked up and stared at him, making eye contact as he flicked his tongue over Eren’s slit. Eren’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as his hips bucked and came inside Levi’s mouth. The elder swallowed it all, licking Eren’s head to make sure not a drop remained. While Eren’s cum had tasted salty the first time Levi swallowed (making him grimace a little if he was being honest), he had gotten used to the taste and no longer found it too gross. Besides, it greatly limited the messiness that comes with these situations and that was definitely a plus in Levi’s eyes.

Eren laid against the pillow, the flower crown resting on his eyebrows now. He was breathing hard but his eyes were full of excitement and curiosity. Levi moved away from him, nearing the nightstand on the right side of the bed. He pulled open the last of his drawers, moving aside some socks to pull out a bottle of lube and a box of condoms.

Levi moved back towards Eren, settling in between his legs again, and the scene was so hot and the anticipation of what Levi was about to do so great, that Eren felt himself getting hard all over again. Levi poured some of the lube on his first three fingers, looking at Eren the whole time, which only made Eren get even more aroused. The elder was just too intense. It was hard to even breathe around him in situations like these.

Then, Levi kissed Eren, a little slowly and less desperately. When he pulled back, he looked at Eren and studied his face. By this point, Eren looked so incredibly hot Levi immediately slipped the first finger inside. Eren gasped quietly at the haste of the act. His hands moved up to touch Levi, wanting to feel him. He passed his hands up Levi’s biceps, gripping them tightly when Levi slipped the second finger. Now, Levi could see a bit of the discomfort in Eren’s face. He moved lower and captured Eren’s lips in his own. Eren’s hands moved over to the nape of his neck before moving up to his hair. He ran his fingers through it and sighed into the kiss. Levi inserted the third finger. He moved them around, stretching Eren. Levi buried his head in the crook of the brunette’s neck, applying small kisses and comforting touches. At some point in Levi’s wiggling, Eren let out his loudest moan yet right into Levi’s ear. The elder sucked in a breath at the sound before wiggling his fingers again in the exact same away.

“Oh _fuck_!” Eren yelled, his back arching almost impossibly. Levi pulled his fingers away, moving back to get into position. Eren sighed at the feeling of Levi leaving him but couldn’t help feeling disappointed. He watched as Levi put on the condom before rubbing more lube on it. As Levi got into position, Eren put a hand on his shoulder.

“If you even _think_ about teasing me I’ll—” Eren said but Levi interrupted him.

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” and he slowly slipped inside the brunette. Eren scrunched up his face at the feeling. Levi was thick, _really_ thick and it stretched him more than he ever imagined in all those jerk off sessions he had had. But Eren was no stranger to this part of the act, knowing it was only a matter of time before pain blended into pleasure. His eyes were shut tightly as he tried to take steadying breaths. Levi on the other hand, couldn’t remember the last time he had been inside someone who was so tight. He felt like his whole world was spinning as all of the blood rushed to his dick. He also tried to take deep breaths in order to prevent himself from slamming into Eren before the younger was accustomed to him. He hovered over Eren, kissing his neck and cheek and forehead gently and sweetly. Just as Levi readjusted the flower crown that was falling on Eren’s eyes, the younger commanded him to move.

The thrusts were slow at first, just getting used to the feeling. But as Eren’s breath began to quicken and his moans began to become more frequent and louder, Levi’s pace quickened. He snapped his hips relentlessly, moving back and forth and slamming into Eren with so much force, the younger’s head was now touching the headboard. If Levi thought Eren was loud in public, he wasn’t ready for Eren in bed. He seemed to be sensitive in every inch of his body, moaning unabashedly every time Levi thrusted into him, kissed him, bit him, or even touched him. He didn’t even try to bite his lip or grip the sheets to hold back anymore.

But perhaps the best thing about Eren in bed was his greed. The younger apparently refused to just lay there and take what Levi was giving. He wanted more. Whenever he could, he kissed Levi, biting his lip and sucking on his tongue. He would suck and leave hickeys all over Levi’s neck and shoulder whenever the elder would give him the opportunity. He would hold on to Levi’s shoulder or dig his nails into Levi’s ass cheeks. It was almost like Eren couldn’t get enough of the raven. But every time Levi would hit that spot inside of Eren that made the younger yell like he was in a gay porno, he would run his blunt nails against Levi’s back in a way that was almost too pleasurable. Between the bite marks on his neck and the scratches on his back, Levi could tell that while he was not feeling the pain now, he would definitely feel it later.

And then Eren began to turn into a complete wreck when Levi had pinpointed his prostrate with complete accuracy and refused to stop abusing it. Eren’s mouth was now hanging open permanently, allowing for the slip of moans and yells and the occasional “ _Levi_!” that would make the said male go even harder and faster. Eren scratched more and more at Levi’s back in order to anchor himself to the real world because the sensations he was experiencing were making him feel like he was going into a different dimension.

Eren’s moans almost drowned out any noise that Levi made. Luckily for Eren, though, with this position, Levi could nestle into the crook of his neck or lay his forehead on Eren’s shoulder or collarbone. It made it easier to hear Levi’s quiet moans and deep groans of pleasure since he was so close to Eren’s ears. While Levi’s sounds were low and deep, they were more consistent and the sexiest thing Eren had ever heard. The sounds that reached his ears only made his own grow in frequency and volume.

Then Levi had the _audacity_ to reach down and grab Eren’s cock, pumping it to coincide with his thrusts. Eren moaned a loud curse at the feeling, knowing he was nearing the end. Before he could say any type of warning, Levi hit his prostate with such a hard thrust, Eren’s head hit the headboard of the bed (not that he noticed or cared). He yelled, eyes shut tight, cheeks a whole new shade of red, mouth wide open. He came on his stomach as he clenched around Levi. The elder’s breath audibly staggered at the tightness around him before he groaned a little louder than Eren had ever heard, coming into the condom.

Eren relaxed on the bed, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed heavily. Levi almost slumped on top of Eren before realizing the younger was covered in cum. Levi sighed a little before pulling out of Eren, who scrunched his nose at the feeling. The elder took off the condom, tying it and throwing it away in the trash can next to the night stand where he had gotten the lube and condoms. He then took a tissue from the box next to the lamp on the said night table and cleaned Eren up before he used another tissue to do the same for himself.

Levi settled next to Eren, shoulder to shoulder. They were both still breathing like they had been running for their lives.

“Are you always that loud?” Levi asked out of pure curiosity.

“Not at all. It’s all you,” Eren said in between pants, moving his head to stare at Levi, who also turned at the sound of the movement.

“You’re joking,” Levi said, frowning a bit.

“I am definitely not,” Eren said, taking Levi’s hand and intertwining their fingers, “you’re _that_ good.”

“You’re dramatic,” Levi rolled his eyes but Eren chuckled.

“No, I’m right,” he said, before kissing Levi gently, “but seriously, that was incredible.”

“I know,” Levi smirked, gaining a small shove and a smile from Eren. They were quiet for a moment, just looking at each other before Eren spoke.

“Happy Valentine’s day,”

“Best fucking day of the year,” Levi said and Eren laughed.


	17. What You Do to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More mature content *wink wink*

Eren and Levi remained in bed for a little while just basking in each other’s presence.

“I can’t believe you did all of this,” Levi said, Eren cuddled up next to him.

“Why? It was fairly easy, even though it took forever to get all the petals off those roses. The hardest part was blowing off my friends,”

“You guys had plans?”

“The people who aren’t in a relationship usually do something every year. It’s just to get our minds off the lack of sexual and emotional relationships, you know?” Eren felt Levi nod against his head before speaking.

“And your sister?”

“I got lucky she was working today. If not, I don’t think I would be able to be here,” Levi frowned at Eren’s answer.

“You need to tell her about us at some point,”

“I know,” Eren sighed, before laying on his back so he wouldn’t be facing Levi’s chest anymore, “and I will tell her soon. She actually asked me last week if we had anything romantic going on and I said no.”

“You lied?” Levi asked, scrunching his nose a little.

“I didn’t mean to. She caught me so off guard that I got nervous!”

“Well, you should tell her as soon as possible. I already told Hanji and Erwin,”

“Yeah? Did Ms. Zoe pester you about it?” Eren smiled a little, knowing how Hanji can act.

“Almost incessantly. I had a splitting migraine by the time I gave up,” Levi grumbled and Eren laughed lightly, passing his hand through Levi’s bicep.

“And Isabel and Farlan?”

“They’ve known that we had something going on for a while. It’s not like I could avoid talking bout you that whole week I spent with them,” Eren hummed in acceptance. All of Levi’s friends knew about their relationship. Now it was Eren’s turn. He needed to stop hiding this, specially from Mikasa. He should tell her before the lie he told grows and worsens. He sighed, shifting a bit on the bed. His ankle bumped against the condom box that was left there. He leaned down and picked it up to see what it was. At the movement, the box made a little rattling sound. He reached inside and pulled a single condom out.

“There’s only one left?” Levi asked, not moving from his position on the bed.

“Not for long,” Eren purred, suddenly moving on top of Levi and kissing him fiercely.

“Really? Again?” Levi asked when they pulled apart, a little surprised.

“You tired…old man?” Eren said, a teasing smirk so plain on his face Levi growled a little.

“Not even a little,” 

“God, you’re the best,” Eren said, secretly very happy that Levi was up for another round. He hadn’t had any sexual relationships for months before meeting Levi, and now that he had gotten a taste of what he was missing he couldn’t get enough.

“You’re such a brat,” Levi said in between Eren’s kisses but Eren only hummed in agreement, not bothering to protest or argue. He trailed kisses all over Levi’s neck and chest, leaving a fair share of marks and hickeys that looked just stunning on Levi’s pale white skin. Eren couldn’t help but stare at the male, body beneath him and at his mercy. Eren felt something tighten in his stomach.

Just as he was about to continue his teasing, Levi moved his hips up, which rubbed deliciously against Eren’s growing erection.

“Get on with it,” Levi growled a little.

“Not so patient when it’s being done to you, huh?” Eren said and Levi only huffed in annoyance. He was already fully hard just from Eren’s confidence and look. The taller was settled on top of him, all naked and gorgeous. The flower crown was still on his head, some of the petals falling along his body. Levi moved his hands to Eren’s thighs, gripping them tightly, inserting his finger nails into the skin and making moon crescents in the skin. Eren couldn’t help but moan at the feeling.

Eren rocked his hips forward, grinding against Levi’s cock like he would die if he didn’t. They continued like that for various minutes; Eren gripping Levi’s shoulders for balance as Levi scratched and gripped his thighs. Then, Levi got a wild idea. His hands began to move from Eren’s thighs to his ass, leaving behind a trail that burned Eren’s skin. Before Levi could go along with his idea, Eren whispered the most sinful thing Levi had ever heard.

“Spank me,”

Levi’s breathing stuttered as he moaned a little. _This brat is going to kill me_ , he thought. But he didn’t hesitate to comply with Eren’s request, which was coincidentally also his own.

As soon as his hand came into contact with Eren’s skin, the younger moaned and arched his back. Levi watched from below, taking everything in. He could see every part of Eren. His hair, his face, his neck, his chest, his cock against his stomach. Best of all, he could see Eren’s expressions perfectly. Every lip bite, every scrunched eyebrow, every open mouthed moan. He spanked Eren again before kneading the skin he had hit to ease the pain.

“Fuck!” Eren breathed as Levi, who was mesmerized by how well Eren took pain and pleasure, kept going with no intention of stopping.

“More,” Eren demanded, grinding against Levi for attention. Levi raised his hand and hit Eren again, massaging the skin there as well. He raised his hand one more time and feinted a hit, which made Eren’s breath hitch in anticipation. When he noticed what Levi was doing, he groaned and muttered “fucking tease.”

Soon enough, Eren had had enough waiting. He wanted to ride Levi…really, really badly. In his previous position Levi had kept most of his face away from Eren, burying in his neck or placing it against his collarbone. This time, Eren wanted to see how wrecked he could get the elder to be. He wanted to see how Levi looked like when he let go and submitted to his feelings.

He went to grab for the condom immediately, not bothering to prep himself again becausehe had just gotten fucked ten minutes ago and he was no about to wait any longer.

“Are you not going to—” Levi started but was interrupted by Eren when he shook his head adamantly.

“Are you sure?” Levi asked again, making sure that the younger wasn’t being impulsive and unthoughtful. His question was answered when Eren lined himself up and started to take Levi in, slowly. Once he finally got all of him in, Eren took in a deep breath and showed a very small but very clear satisfied smirk. Levi could almost cry at the sight before him.

Once Eren got accustomed to Levi again, he began to move. At first, he grinded against Levi slowly, just savoring every move and feeling. It made Levi close his eyes and take in sudden breaths. Then, when Eren became more impatient and greedier, he moved up and down, his hands against Levi’s chest for balance.

The more Eren moved, the harder he began to slam down onto Levi. The elder didn’t think he could get any more turned on than he was at that moment. He had the full view of Eren’s sensual expressions and stunning body while having easy access to his ass and thighs. When Levi could manage to open his eyes and look at Eren, he would see a sight he hoped would last forever. He was on top of Levi, moving up and down like it was crucial to his survival. The flower crown was still on his head, now a little crooked and with less flowers, but beautiful nonetheless. The contrast between the innocence, purity, and delicacy of the flower crown and the sinfulness, eroticism, and sexiness of Eren’s facial expressions was so glaringly obvious and impossibly attractive, that Levi had trouble catching his breath and holding back from coming on the spot.

Meanwhile, Eren was having the time of his life. Now Levi had begun to thrust up to meet with Eren’s own thrusts and the younger was sure he was losing his mind. He put his hands against Levi’s chest for balance but he couldn’t help but scratch at the skin. Levi was now groaning and moaning below him, his thrusts stuttering when Eren clawed at his chest. He opened his eyes to look at the man below him. Eren didn’t think he had seen anything more beautiful.

Levi was below him, looking as wrecked as Eren had been (and is). His black hair fell on his eyes and cheekbones messily. His dark eyebrows were scrunched up as he bit his lip to muffle the sounds that Eren was causing. The younger leaned down for a second and kissed Levi to pull the bottom lip away from the abusing teeth. He whispered, “let me hear you,” as he pulled back to continue his rhythm. And right after that, Levi let his deep groans and quiet moans run free. He gripped and scratched at Eren’s thighs, leaving scratch marks that rivaled the ones Eren was leaving on his chest. Eren tried his best to keep his eyes open in order to look at Levi, to be able to admire him and memorize the way he looks when no one but Eren is around.

They continued the rhythm for a while before Levi randomly and unexpectedly spanked Eren’s ass as he was coming down on Levi again. With a loud moan, Eren came suddenly. He held himself up by sheer force of will, patiently waiting for Levi to come too, which was achieved an exact minute later. Once again, Levi reached over to the bed side table and gota tissue to clean Eren up. When Eren moved away from him, he took off the condom and disposed of it.

It wasn’t three minutes that Eren had laid in bed, on the verge of sleep, when Levi was shaking him awake.

“Get up, we have to shower and I need to wash the sheets,” Eren only groaned in reply, ignoring Levi completely.

“Brat, don’t make me push you off,”

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” Eren said, pulling himself off the bed with barely any strength at all.

“Just go shower while I put the sheets in the washing machine. I’ll be there in a bit,” Levi said, already pulling off the said sheets from the mattress and shoving them under his shoulder. Eren only rolled his eyes and made his away to the bathroom shakily, half limping half trying to look like he wasn’t.

Levi did come to join Eren a couple of minutes later. They had a fairly innocent shower, both of them too spent to try to do anything else. When they came out, Eren saw that it was barely even eight, way too early to go to sleep as he had planned.

“We should probably eat something,” Eren mumbled, noticing they were so caught up in themselves they didn’t have dinner.

“What do you feel like eating? I can cook something up quickly,” Levi offered but Eren shook his head, saying it was too much work to prepare something at this hour. He suggested take out instead.

“Do you think restaurants will be able to deliver today? I bet they already have their hands full with the dine ins,” Levi reminded him. Eren nodded, knowing it was one of the busiest days of the year.

“Then we should get something from a restaurant that isn’t too popular?” Eren asked, already thinking of the various places that could fit that category.

“Whatever you want, brat,” Levi said and that only made Eren smile. He almost felt spoiled.

They ended up getting ramen from a nearby place that was incredibly small and new but surprisingly delicious. Levi told Eren to give him the name for future occasions. After dinner, Eren helped Levi clean up the rose petals that were still littered around the floor. Levi said he just couldn’t take knowing that his floor was dirty and not do anything about it. Eren only smiled reassuringly and let him know it didn’t hurt his feelings. Levi had gotten the message and that was what mattered. The roses had served their purpose. Still, Levi sneakily kept a couple of rose petals, keeping them to put them inside his books and preserve them. Eren’s flower crown that had remained on the bedside table after their second round was now on Levi’s desk in his study. He ignored how it didn’t match the decor of the room in favor of looking at it and being reminded of Eren.

They spent the rest of the night watching a romantic comedy, much to Levi’s annoyance. He never failed to point out the flaws in the characters and in the story line.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Levi argued.

“What don’t you get? There’s only one bed! They have to sleep together,”

“I feel like there are a million ways to avoid that,”

“How so?”

“One sleeps on the couch, or on the floor, or on a futon, or doesn’t sleep at all,” Levi suggested and Eren only rolled his eyes and pulled Levi closer.

“You’re such an ass. It’s a plot device. The writers need to bring the characters closer somehow,”

“I guess but I think people can connect over a billion things more realistic than sharing a bed,” Eren gave up, acknowledging that arguing over something so trivial was a waste of time. Besides, the movie was funnier with Levi’s commentary.

Soon enough, though, Eren had to go home. It was nearing eleven, and Eren knew Mikasa would be home after her shift some time soon. He apologized to Levi for not being able to stay over. The raven only wavedhis apology away and thanked him once again for the night.

“Oh, no, thank _you_ ,” Eren winked. Levi rolled his eyes and flicked Eren on the forehead. The brunette laughed and kissed the smaller lovingly.

“Remember to tell your sister about us,” Levi muttered, but knew Eren had heard him. Eren’s brows were furrowed and his smile had wavered a bit but he nodded. He kissed Levi once again, grabbing his waist and his cheek before smiling widely and leaving.

Levi turned back to his house. He looked around and noticed the lack of pictures on the living room coffee table and on his night stands next to his bed. He noticed the lack of color in the house, the absence of light. He went to his study and stared at the flower crown on his desk. He liked the way it looked there, even if it contrasted with the black and gray of the room. He sighed, picking it up and holding it lightly, careful not to damage the roses that had managed to survive the night.

He looked around even though he knew he was alone, and smiled widely. Maybe he didn’t mind the contrasting colors in the room so much. Maybe he didn’t mind the heaps of flower petals next to his trash cash, or the leftover take out food in the fridge. Maybe he didn’t mind the late night conversations or the cuddling sessions or even the way Eren looked at him like he was the most precious thing in the world, like he was the only flower that managed to grow in his garden. Maybe he didn’t mind any of this at all and maybe, just _maybe_ he enjoyed every second of it.

He laid the flower crown back on his desk and went back to his room to get ready for bed. He was specially tired today but couldn’t manage to go to sleep in such an empty and cold bed. He laid there and wondered what life had in store for him.

Life did in fact have a lot waiting for him but he never imagined that the little flower in the garden would soon have to live without its gardener.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, I wonder what that means~~


	18. Fine Line

When Eren got home, Mikasa was still at work, which was perfect. He laid on the couch and put in the first romantic comedy he could find, trying to play with the charade that he had been home all day watching movies. She arrived when he was about to reach the middle of the movie.

“ _The Proposal_ , really?” she said, plopping down on the couch next to Eren, clearly exhausted.

“Ryan Reynolds is god,” he answered, kissing her on the cheek as a greeting. She only laid her head on his shoulder. Eren noticed and thought this would be a perfect time to break the news to her. He took in a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

“Mikasa,” she moved her head away from his shoulder to look him. He looked at her and he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to say anything. She looked so exhausted. He didn’t think he could break the news right now. He knew she needed to sleep, to rest for a little. Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday and she didn’t have to work. He promised himself he would give her breakfast in bed.

“Are you going to say something or just look at me like that?”

“Oh, right,” Eren snapped out of his thoughts, “Thank you so much for everything you have done for us. I know you work a million hours a week just to keep us afloat and so I can graduate college and get an actual job that doesn’t pay minimum wage. The only reason I’ve even gotten this far is because you’re sacrificing the best years of your life for me. When I graduate, I’ll take over so you can go to school yourself and follow your dream,”

Mikasa stared at him, a little surprised at the sudden confession. And then she gave a tired smiled as her eyes glossed over a little. She hugged Eren tightly, ruffling his hair and kissing him on the cheek.

“Anything for my little brother,” she said and Eren only smiled. They then decided to go to bed, knowing it was already late.

Eren knew he should have told her but it wasn’t like what he said was a lie. He really was thankful to her. Maybe he had never noticed it before but the fact that it was so easy to sneak around with Levi made him see how busy his sister was at all times. She worked every week day for hours and hours, having only the weekends as free days. She always worked holidays for the extra money and never, never once complained. He knew that without her, he would have never survived his mom’s accident and his dad’s death. It was true that Grisha had left them (namely Mikasa, as it was written in his will) his car and a couple of thousands of dollars. But they needed to pay rent, buy food, pay for Eren’s tuition. It wasn’t enough. But Mikasa pulled through. She stepped up and assumed so much responsibility without any hesitation or fear. Eren was impressed, grateful, and so lucky. He would definitely make her breakfast tomorrow.

And Eren did. The next morning, he woke up early to prepare pancakes. They had mix somewhere in the house and it took him at least ten minutes to locate it. He did his best to make the pancakes as fluffy as possible, but managed to burn a few of them, which he happily transferred into his own plate in order to save the best ones for his sister. When they were done, he buttered them up and poured syrup over them. He quickly put the plate on the tray and walked over to his sister’s room. He knocked lightly before pushing the door open with his hip because he was holding the tray.

Mikasa was awake but in bed. She was looking at her phone, probably scrolling through Instagram or TikTok. When she saw him walk in, she sat up and stared at him in disbelief.

“What’s this?” she said as he laid the tray on her lap.

“Breakfast!” he smiled widely. She didn’t move.

“Who are you?”

“Oh come on! I can do nice things!” he protested but Mikasa narrowed her eyes at him. He rolled his eyes at her and urged her to eat. She finally gave in and tried the food.

“It’s actually not too bad,”

“Thanks! I just wanted you to know that I meant what I said yesterday. Thank you for everything,” she nodded in acknowledgment before thanking him for the meal. He smiled and walked out to eat his own.

He still felt guilty that he hadn’t told her about him and Levi yet, but he told himself he would tell her tomorrow. And he told himself that over and over as the days passed, finding excuses and ways to avoid the confrontation. And so, it came to bite him in the ass weeks later.

***

It was weeksafter Valentine’s Day and Levi and Eren had not been able to meet up alone. They had seen each other in the coffee shop but now their relationship had progressed to a comfortable point where they wanted to touch each other and be in one another’s personal space all the time. The coffee shop employees and regular customers were beginning to give them dirty looks.

Eren had not been able to go to Levi’s house either. With the term just starting, he had a lot on his plate. His General Chemistry and Statistics class was kicking his ass. He sept every second he had trying his best to study and stay focused. Mikasa’s hard work had suddenly reminded him why he was working so hard now to get good grades and graduate. His sister is doing everything she can for him and his mom had always tried her best to make sure that he succeeded and lived up to his full potential. He needed to make both of them proud.

So he had to deny Levi’s offers to come over multiple times during the weeks, knowing he couldn’t spare time to fool around at the moment. But by early March, he had just taken his Chemistry exam and was busy studying for a statistics quiz he had the next day when Levi called him on the phone.

“Hey,” Eren answered, a small smile pulling at his lips as he wrote on his notebook.

“Are you passing by today?”

“I can’t. I have to study for my stats quiz tomorrow,” Eren frowned, knowing he would love to see Levi. He hadn’t physically seen him in a whole week and if it weren’t for all the classes distracting him he was sure he would have exploded by now. He guessed that was what Levi felt like. Isabel and Farlan had recently begun their new job and so were beginning to get busy. Hanji and Erwin had work just like Levi so there was no way to distract himself from Eren’s absence.

“Hn,” Levi said and Eren could almost hear his disappointment. He bit his lip a little guiltily. He knew he still had to study but he really wanted to see Levi. He thought for a little before throwing a suggestion in the air.

“Do you want to come over? We can hang out while I study?” there was silence on the other line for a bit. He waited patiently for an answer, though he thought it was taking Levi a little too long to answer.

“Alright. At least I’ll get to see you,” Eren smiled at the huff that sounded annoyed but knew wasn’t. He gave Levi his address and reassured him that Mikasa was at work. It was only when he hung up that Eren realized this would be the first time Levi would be coming to his house and the place was far away from clean. He jumped up quickly and rushed from his backyard to the inside of the house. He picked up mugs and cups that laid around along with fast food wrappers and napkins. He put all the dishes in the dishwasher. He had no idea where Mikasa kept the vacuum so he brought out a broom and swept as best as he could. He wiped the tables and the sofa and even the window sill. By the time he was cleaning the glass door that led to the backyard, Levi was ringing his doorbell. He sighed and looked around. It was neat, not a hair out of place. He smiled lightly and went to open the door.

“Hi,” Eren smiled upon seeing Levi, who didn’t even bother with a greeting. He stepped inside, closed the door and glared at Eren. He reached up, grabbed the collar of Eren’s henley and pulled him down. Their lips crashed together a little forcefully but Eren couldn’t care less. Immediately, he kissed Levi back, smiling a little into the kiss while moving his hands to touch the elder’s neck and cheek.

“Fuck your classes,” Levi said once they pulled back, “but keep working hard.”

Eren laughed lightly at the switch in tone. He didn’t pull away from Levi, now realizing how much he missed being close to the elder. School had been keeping him so busy that he barely had time to think about anything else.

Levi looked around before grimacing lightly and then smirking.

“You tried to clean, didn’t you?” he asked, looking up at Eren, who looked surprised that Levi noticed.

“I can tell because there’s a broom next to the sofa and you left the Windex bottle on the table,” Levi teased while Eren only blushed in embarrassment.

“Let’s just go sit outside so you stop judging my cleaning skills,” Eren said, leading Levi towards the glass doors. On the way there, Levi passed his finger over the table right next to it and saw some dust gather on his fingers.

“You’re really bad at this,” Levi said, rubbing his finger and his thumb together to get rid of the particles.

“You would need a microscope to see the dust particles!” Eren protested, passing his own finger on the table and seeing no dust at all.

“You clearly don’t since I can see them just fine,”

“Whatever, clean freak,” Eren muttered before stepping outside. Levi followed closely, his hand linked to Eren’s.

Eren’s backyard was modest. It was small, with only a roof that covered half of it. Under the roof there were patio chairs and a coffee table, which was littered with papers and books. The part that was not covered by a roof was concrete as well but had a couple of flower vases to add color and life. Directly after the end of the concrete was a fence that separated Eren’s house with his neighbor’s.

The weather had lessened a bit. It was beginning to change from cool to warm. There was a nice breeze that blew every once in a while, but the chill in the air was gone. It was safe to assume (according to Rosemaria’s strange climate) that it would no longer snow.

Levi sat on the patio chair next to Eren’s. The younger immediately picked up his things and got back into studying. He felt a little bad that he wasn’t able to entertain Levi but the elder assured him that he had only come to hang out casually and just see each other. They had seen each other for only short periods of time in the coffee shop these last weeks but they both knew that wasn’t enough. They wanted something like this, where they were alone and could be together comfortably. Levi found it relieving that he could be with Eren in complete silence without the need to fill it with needless small talk. It said a lot about their relationship.

So, he just sat on his chair and looked outside, wandering into his thoughts as Eren studied. At times his eyes would drift towards Eren, who was so focused on his work that he wouldn’t even notice Levi’s obvious stare. But it wasn’t like Levi could help it. Eren just looked so cute when he was concentrated. His eyebrows would furrow, his nose would wrinkle just slightly, and his lips would pull into a natural pout. Sometimes, when he didn’t get a problem he would pull lightly at his hair and mutter under his breath. He chewed his pencil multiple times and even rubbed his forehead. But other times he would check his answer to see that he had gotten it right and would silently celebrate. His lips would pull into a wide grin and his shoulders would release some of the tension. More than once he laughed aloud and clapped at his own achievement.

Levi didn’t think he had seen anything cuter in his life. The way Eren looked as he studied so clearly reflected his whole personality. While some of the problems were difficult and they stressed him out, he powered through them until he understood completely. When he got answers right, the pride and sense of accomplishment was clear on his face. He was someone who worked hard and was too stubborn to let something as small as a word problem get in the way of the things he wanted. His determination was one of the most admirable things about him.

“You’ve been staring at me for, like, five minutes straight now. Blink,” Eren said, not even looking at Levi, just staring at his paper and writing down some numbers on it. But as cool as he tried to act, Levi still caught the small satisfied smile on his face.

“Tch,” Levi answered, tearing his eyes away quickly because he didn’t even notice he was staring that long. Then Eren picked up the book and the papers on his lap before moving to the patio sofa that was in front of Levi’s chair and next to Eren’s. He sat and patted the seat next to him, smiling a bit. Levi rolled his eyes but stood up to go anyway. As soon as he sat next to Eren, the younger cuddled up to his side, laying the book so it was half on Eren’s thigh and the other on Levi’s. The elder put his arm around Eren’s shoulder to get more comfortable before digging his fingers into the younger’s hair and massaging the scalp slowly. It seemed to relax Eren a lot because from then on Levi could barely hear his groans of frustration at the math problems.

They remained in that position for a while. Eren studied diligently while Levi submerged himself in his thoughts about how lucky he was to have Eren with him right now. At some point Levi snapped out of his thoughts and heard music coming from the speakers perched up on the wall.

“When did you put that on?”

“A while ago. I like to study with background noise. Otherwise it’s too quiet and I can’t concentrate,”

“That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard,”

“It’s a young people thing. You wouldn’t understand,” Eren teased and Levi only huffed. Levi acted offended while Eren reconciled with kisses and touches.

“When did it get so dark?” Levi said, noticing how the sun was suddenly gone and there was now a gray hue overtaking the day.

“How deeply were you thinking?” Eren asked.

“I guess very deeply,”

A couple of minutes passed when Eren closed his book and sighed.

“You done?” Levi asked, still playing with Eren’s hair, which only made the younger bury his head into Levi’s neck.

“No, just need a break or my head will explode,” Levi nodded at Eren’s answer while pulling the younger closer now that the book was closed and on the table in front of them.

Then, it began to rain. Raindrops pounded down mercilessly for a couple of seconds before leveling off to a nice regular shower. Eren had made no move to go back inside so Levi assumed it was because the rain was no problem with the roof over them. While he would prefer to go inside to escape the humidity and the dirty rainwater mist, he remained there because he was quite honestly very comfortable and…happy. Levi sighed deeply and kissed Eren on the head.

And then Eren suddenly shoots up when a song comes on. There was a sound of a guitar and something about putting a price on emotion. Levi looked up at Eren questionably but the younger only smiled, his eyes wild with an idea.

“This is so perfect!” Eren said, almost jumping with excitement, “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now,”

“What are you talking about?” Levi asked but his question was left unanswered.

“Do you trust me?” Eren asked, looking at Levi a little more seriously.

“Yes,” Levi said, no hesitation in his voice because he knew that he did in fact trust Eren, and a lot more than he cared to admit.

“Then close your eyes and give me your hand,” Eren commanded and Levi almost regretted saying yes. He was about to question him but Eren gave him a look, almost as if silently pleading him. He sighed, closed his eyes, and allowed Eren to take his hand. The brunette pulled him up from his seat and began to take him somewhere. They walked for a bit, slowly because Levi couldn’t see. And then Levi suddenly got doused in water. His eyes shot open to see that he was under the rain with Eren in front of him, his hand on Levi's cheek. Eren was smiling, the water dripping on his face and his hair getting plastered on his forehead.

“What the fuck, Eren?!” Levi growled, already moving to go back under the roof of the patio. Eren, who still has Levi’s hand, pulls him back into his chest.

“Just stay here with me. Dance to the music,”

“Are you insane?” Levi asked, now definitely soaked. His clothes were sticking to him now, water was dripping all over his face, and his hair was completely wet. There was no use in going back inside now.

“No, I’m romantic,”

“You’re an idiot,” Levi said, but didn’t pull away. Eren took that as acceptance. He took Levi’s hands and put them on his shoulders. Eren then took his own hands and placed them on Levi’s waist. He then preceded to lead them, swaying slowly from side to side in a slow and intimate dance. The lyrics of the song sounded in the background, almost drowned out by the pouring of the rain on the concrete, but Eren was singing along, murmuring the words into Levi’s ear.

“We'll be a fine line…We’ll be a fine line,”

“You’re off tune,” Levi said and Eren grimaced.

“And you know so much about music?”

“Of course I do. I know about everything,” Eren rolled his eyes at the answer.

“Then sing along if you’re so good,” he challenged but Levi didn’t decline.

“Wait for the chorus. The lyrics are “We’ll be a fine line,” right?” he asked and Eren nodded. A couple of seconds later, the chorus began again and Levi sang quietly into Eren’s ear. The words flowed flawlessly out of Levi’s mouth, perfectly said and paced to the music. His voice was deep but smooth. At hearing it, Eren realized that he _had_ been off tune and that Levi had so much more to him that he ever thought. He believed that he would be learning things about Levi every day. Something new would come up—a story, a fun fact, a secret— entrancing Eren into the person that is Levi as if he had just met him. Levi would always keep him on his toes, he was sure of it.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” Eren said, interrupting Levi’s singing. He pulled Levi’s face away from his ear where he was whispering the lyrics to look at him, caress his face and kiss him. Under the pouring rain, under the gray clouds above, they danced slowly to a song only one of them knew the words to. They held on to each other in the midst of a storm, kissing and looking into each other’s eyes like there was nothing going on around them. The rain poured from above endlessly, making their clothes drip with water and cling to their skin in the cold. The water ran through their hands and neck and face like tears. Wet hair clung to foreheads and cheeks annoyingly while they both looked at each other. Eren pulled one of Levi’s bangs away from where it was plastered on his cheekbone to push it behind his ear. He smiled at him warmly, his eyes full of affection and happiness. Levi stared right back into Eren’s eyes, the very eyes that seemed to hold a world of their own. His thumb rubbed against Eren’s cheekbone as he leaned into the touch, his smile only widening into a grin.

Levi looked at Eren in this moment as if he was both looking at him directly and seeing himself touch Eren like a third person watching a movie. He could see how Eren held him close as if afraid to let him go, how he moved Levi to the song that was still playing despite the fact that this singular moment in time felt like an eternity. He saw his smile, his pretty tan neck, his gorgeous eyes, and his wet hair that he brushed aside to keep away from his eyes. He noticed how perfect they looked together. And Levi knew they not only _looked_ good together but were actually very compatible. Eren’s outgoing personality and recklessness forced Levi to come out of his little shell and look at the good things in life. Meanwhile, Levi’s restraint and maturity kept Eren away from trouble and obliged him to be more realistic. If there was someone that could make Levi smile and feel comfortable it was Eren. If there was someone who could make Eren calm down and look at the facts objectively, it was Levi.

The whole world felt like it had stopped just for them, just for Levi to observe and treasure this moment. The rain didn’t stop, the clouds didn’t part, the song didn’t fade, Eren’s smile didn’t waver.

In the middle of his trance, he felt such a warmth bloom in his chest that he forgot the coldness of the droplets landing on him. It started in his heart and made his way through his body like vines, gripping every section of him and warming it up. And then the feeling of warmth and happiness reached his mouth and he smiled so wide his teeth showed and his eyes turned into little crescent . There was nothing he could do to stop it. He didn’t even know if he wanted to because this was Eren. He had promised that he would be more open with the younger. Eren saw him and chuckled lightly before leaning down to kiss him once again.

When they pulled back, Eren rested his forehead against Levi’s and whispered, “so very perfect.”

And then Levi opened his mouth to say something but then the words that were running through his head and were burning in his heart slipped out by themselves.

“I love you,”

It was barely a whisper, a mere breath of air. It was a wonder the sound of the rain didn’t drown it out. Once he heard it, Eren pulled away to look at Levi better. He saw the elder was just as surprised as he was, his eyes a little wide and his mouth agape. He studied Levi’s eyes like a map, searching for something and finding it almost immediately.

Eren’s hand tightened around Levi’s waist while the other was on his neck, inciting a burning sensation there. He then kissed Levi more forcefully than he ever had. Their lips pressed together as Eren pulled Levi’s body closer to his. There was no tongue, no wandering hands, no sexual urges. There was no hunger and desperation. Time had stopped for them. There was no need to rush the moment. They were going to savor it.

Their lips parted but their bodies remained together.

“I love you too,” Eren smiled and watched as Levi’s shoulders slumped in relief. He couldn’t imagine how much Levi was putting on the line in that confession. He was happy the elder felt that way and he was even happier that he himself didn’t hesitate to answer back.

And then the song ended with a couple of drum beats and harmonization. Eren sighed happily before chuckling a little and then laughing. Levi smiled at the sound and sight before letting out a little chuckle of his own. Eren took his hand and moved to take him back under the roof. But then they both stopped at the sight of Mikasa standing on the threshold between the inside of the house and the backyard. Eren dropped Levi’s hand like it had burned him.

“Mi-Mikasa!” Eren stuttered, suddenly turning pale and putting as much distance between himself and Levi as possible. Levi looked at him questionably before turning to his sister, who had a look of rage, surprise, and hurt all at once.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Levi asked, looking at Eren for an answer. The younger had only fidgeted and looked away. “Goddamn it, Eren. This is what I wanted to avoid!”

Levi hadn’t yelled or even looked mad. He had only whispered harshly and wore a face of pure disappointment. Mikasa had yet to say a word. It all only made Eren feel like shit.

“Mikasa, I can explain—,” Eren started but Mikasa interrupted him.

“Eren, you should tell your _friend_ to leave. We need to talk,” the way she said friend made Eren wince.

“There’s no need,” Levi said, walking past Eren towards the glass door, “I’ll see myself out. Sorry to drip water on your floor.”

And just like that Eren was left alone with his sister. They were still outside and the rain was still pouring down but none of them made the move to go back inside.

“You lied to me,” she said, her fist clenching by her side.

“Yes, I did,” Eren admitted, seeing no point in denying it, “and I have no excuse for why I did it. You asked me out of nowhere and I just got caught off guard. I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I was going to tell you on Valentine’s Day but you looked so tired from work I didn’t want to throw it on you. Then, I guess I just put it off because I was afraid of what you would think.” Eren rambled, trying to explain himself the best way he could. But Mikasa didn’t look any less calmed down.

“You should have told me. I’m supposed to be your sister, Eren!” she almost stomped her foot at the words. Eren could only look away and wince.

“I know that. And I had every intention of telling you, I just couldn’t find the right time or even bring myself to say anything,”

“How long?” she asked, looking to see how long Eren had been lying to her.

“Since December,” Eren winced, knowing it would hurt.

“You’ve been together for three months and you didn’t even tell me? What’s more, you denied any romantic relationship with him when I asked you about it,” Mikasa wasn’t yelling, but her venomous tone was enough of an indicator about her feelings.

“I know that and I’m sorry. I was just so scared that you would think it weird and that he was taking advantage of me, which he isn’t, because he’s older than me.”

“Eren, do you see why I keep such a close eye on you? Do you understand why I like to know where you are and what you’re doing all the time? If I don’t do those things I would never know anything about you! You keep such important things from me and then lie to my face!” Mikasa said, her face looking more and more hurt and frustrated with every word.

“I know,” Eren muttered, looking away because he couldn’t handle the way his sister looked.

“I just don’t understand. What do I need to do to make you see how much I care about you? I try to protect you but you think I’m suffocating you. I try to give you space but then you do things behind my back. I just don’t understand,” she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself because she was cold. Her scarf no longer warmed her up.

“Mika, listen. I love you. You’re the best sister anyone could ever want. I know that. You don’t need to do anything to show me that. You already work to make sure I can go to school and have a roof over my head and have food on the table. You were there when Mom died and Dad committed suicide. I know better than anyone how much you care,” Eren reassured her, walking closer to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Then if you know how much I care, why didn’t you tell me about this? Why did you lie?” her voice was soft and full of betrayal. It hurt Eren.

“I was afraid of what you would think and do. Your opinion matters to me and I guess I just got so caught up in my fears I didn’t realize I was hurting you,” Eren said, now pulling her close and hugging her. He knew that he was wet and the hug would feel uncomfortable but he needed to show her that he never intended for this to happen.

And just like always, Mikasa melted into his hug and gave up her anger in favor of forgiveness. She hugged Eren back and decided that things could be worse. Eren had only neglected to tell her with good reason. She probably _would_ have freaked out. She always had a weak spot for Eren, and while he _had_ lied to her and kept things from her, she could try to understand why.

Still, she was hurt. She had always felt like Eren didn’t care about her because he would constantly yell at her and brush her off for being so overprotective. But she was only trying to show how important Eren was to her. She guessed that her obsession with his safety and wellbeing made Eren feel like a child and was often the cause for his outburst at her. Her way of showing that she cared about Eren was by being involved in his life but maybe Eren showed his love in different ways. Just a while back he had made her breakfast in bed and he had suddenly gotten into the habit of maintaining the house as clean as possible (which is not too clean but definitely much neater than it ever had been). Maybe Eren really had been scared to come clean about his relationship because of her motherly nature. Maybe, just maybe, her obsessive care of him was pushing him away.

If they were open with each other, if Eren weren’t afraid of Mikasa overreacting, he surely would have told her. He certainly would have never lied.

Mikasa sighed into the hug, Eren’s wet shirt latching onto her cheek and hiding her tears wonderfully. She subtly wiped her face when they pulled back.

“I understand,” she said, looking at Eren with a soft look now, the anger no longer present from her face, “but now you have to tell me everything. And I mean _everything_.”

Eren agreed, but asked to shower and change into more comfortable clothes. After he was done, they sat in the living and Eren told her everything from the beginning. He told her about the bridge, how they saw each other again at the coffee shop, how he built a routine of going everyday after classes and helping Levi with his friend trouble in exchange for calculus tutoring. He even disclosed their date and their almost kisses. He told her how everything started and where they were now.

“You weren’t really watching romantic comedies on Valentine’s Day, were you?” Mikasa asked, noticing how Eren’s entire face suddenly turned red.

“Uhh”—he scratched the back of his head and looked away—“I was at his place…”

“Do I want to know what happened?”

“No, you don’t,” he admitted. She nodded, understanding what he meant and choosing to not prod any longer.

“And what was going on right now?” Mikasa asked, referring to the fact that she had seen them hold each other in the rain before kissing. Somehow, Eren managed to get even redder.

“Uhhh, dancing in the rain?”

“No fucking way,” she said, her eyes widening a little bit before breaking into a smile that slowly morphed into a hearty laugh.

“Oh god,” Eren buried his hot face in his hands in an attempt to hide away.

“The gang is going to love that. You will be teased for months!”

“No, no, please! Jean will never shut up about it!”

“They have to know eventually. You will tell them about Levi, right?” Mikasa asked, suddenly wondering if Eren was planning to keep this a secret anymore.

“Yeah, I will,” Eren agreed, passing hand through his hair in acceptance. They remained in silence for a little while. Eren was thinking about how he would bring the news up to his friends and how he would talk to Levi. He knew he should have told the raven that he never told Mikasa, or that he was at least planning to. He had a suspicion that Levi was somewhat upset about it. Meanwhile, Mikasa was trying to piece everything that Eren had told her together. Her brother was finally in a relationship that had lasted longer than two weeks with someone who, although older than him, looked kind of fitting. She could tell Levi wasn’t someone who would indulge in long flings just for sex. She doubted he would string people along just to use them so the possibility of Eren getting hurt seemed minimal. He also looked like the type to get bored of people quickly, so the fact that he had stuck by Eren for months and had even opened up to the younger about his past showed that he was actually very interested in Eren and planned to stay by his side.

“Eren, are you happy…with him?” she suddenly asked, looking at him to make sure he would look at her in the eyes and tell the truth. He was snapped out of his thoughts at her words. He looked at her for a few seconds before a reminiscent smile appeared on his face, as if he was remembering something.

“Yeah, I really am, Mika,” he said, his smile now growing wider. That’s all she needed to know. She told him that she would support his relationship but told him to warn Levi that if anything ever happened to him he was dead. Eren only laughed and hugged her. Mikasa melted into it and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Stan Harry Styles)


	19. Sticks and Stones. Knives and Guns

The next day, Eren decided to pass by the coffee shop after class. He had winged his statistics tests and sure hoped he at least got a passing grade. So far, he had no quizzes for the next week so he was free to spend the day however he liked. When he arrived at the shop, he ordered a small iced white chocolate mocha because he needed a little energy. Once Christa gave it to him with a little bit of small talk, he walked behind the counter to Levi’s office. He knocked lightly before opening the door and walking in.

Levi was on his desk, reading some papers with a calculator next to him. He looked up only for a second to see who it was that came to bother him before his eyes wandered back to the papers in his hands. Eren could almost pout at the lack of attention he was receiving. He promptly huffed and sat on one of the chairs before his desk.

“Are you busy?” he asked, eyeing the papers.

“A little. Isabel and Farlan should be coming over any moment for lunch,” Levi replied, not looking at Eren at all. The younger sighed, setting down his cup fo coffee on the elder’s desk and walking over to him. He picked up the papers from Levi’s hands and set them down on the table. He then very bravely sat on the desk, pulling Levi’s chair closer. His knees bumped against Levi’s shoulders as he brushed Levi’s hair away from his face in order to force him to look at Eren.

“I’m sorry,” Eren muttered, looking at Levi straight in the eyes and brushing his finger back on forth against his cheek, “I should have told you that I didn’t tell Mikasa on Valentine’s Day like I promised I would. I was planning on doing it later but I kept putting it off because I was scared of what she would think,”

Levi tried to look away but Eren held his face in between his hands. He didn’t want to be ignored anymore. He had spent about 24 hours without a single text from Levi, which was completely unprecedented. Even when Eren was busy studying or Levi was with his friends, they always managed to text to remind each other of their presence. He needed Levi to forgive him here and now. He missed him.

“You’re right. You _should_ have told me,” Levi said, his eyes hard and cold towards Eren for the first time since they became friends. Something squeezed Eren’s heart and cut off his breathing.

“I literally only asked you to because I knew it would come out at some point,” Levi continued, his eyes scrunching up in anger a little bit, “and it’s always better to have control over the situation than to have it all blow up in your face. You could have told me that you didn’t tell her when you were planning to. You could have mentioned that you wanted to but were afraid. I could have helped, I could have been there with you when you told her. Now it all got super complicated and I look like a creep for hiding our relationship,”

Levi knew that Eren understood where he was coming from. Eren wasn’t a kid and he was surely more mature than most people at his age considering everything he had gone through. He knows why Levi is upset. He trusts Eren. He had said so and had shown it on multiple occasions. Eren should be able to tell him things and trust him as well, not lie to him or keep things from him. Not only did he lead Levi to believe that his sister knew about them and that everything was okay, but he had now put Levi in a situation that had him in a bad light. Who knows what Mikasa thought of Levi now? What could have possibly been running through her mind when she saw him and Eren in _her_ house making out?

Eren could almost cry at the face Levi was giving him. It was blatantly obvious that Levi was upset. His lips were pulled tight, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes distant and cold, his arms crossed against his chest to keep himself from touching Eren.

“I’m sorry,” Eren muttered, leaning down and burying his face in Levi’s neck, his hands now sliding to grip at Levi’s shirt. The warmth of Levi’s neck almost incited the tears to flow. He had never seen Levi look so upset at him before. Sure, he had seen him annoyed and irritated, but not genuinely angry. All he could do what apologize.

“I’m sorry,” Eren repeated into his neck, “I guess I didn’t tell you because I knew you would be angry with me for not telling Mikasa. I’m sorry for keeping that from you. I should have told you or asked for your help if I couldn’t do it alone. I know that was wrong. We’re a couple. We’re in this together and I know that. I should have trusted you and told you the truth. I’m sorry for making Mikasa find out this way. She should have heard it come from me, not seen us sneaking around like we had something to hide. I’m so sorry.”

For every word that came out of Eren’s mouth Levi’s resolve crumbled more and more. Halfway through Eren’s apology, Levi had uncrossed is arms and had reached up to hug the younger. He pulled Eren away from where he was sitting on the desk to sit on his lap instead. The younger’s legs were on either side of Levi, folded underneath him to be more comfortable. Once Eren fully sat on his lap, Levi pulled him even closer, their chests touching as Eren continued with his apology.

It was then that Levi realized how far his love for Eren went. Once he had explained why he was upset and heard Eren mutter a single sorry, his anger disappeared. By the time Eren was done with his apology Levi had long forgiven and forgotten. He noticed how bad Eren felt about the whole situation and acknowledged his reasoning. Levi worried he would be capable of forgiving Eren for anything.

Suddenly, Levi’s face softened and relaxed. He pulled Eren away from his neck to look at him. The younger had his head down, hiding behind his bangs. Levi pulled his face up by his chin, wiping the brown locks away from his eyes. He saw the glossiness of the orbs he adored so much. He noticed the rapid blinking Eren was trying to subtly do. Levi’s whole heart almost melted.

He sighed deeply before holding Eren’s face in his hands and staring at it like he was trying to memorize it.

“Okay, it’s okay,” he whispered. He had given his explanation, Eren had apologized. It was all over. It was all okay.

“Yeah?” Eren asked, his face suddenly very hopeful.

“Yeah, you heard me out and apologized. That’s all I needed,” Levi admitted, his eyes following the motion of Eren’s hand, which went up to meet Levi’s on his cheek. He watched as Eren closed his eyes and sighed in relief while leaning into Levi’s touch. It almost brought a smile into Levi’s face.

“Thank god. I told Mikasa everything, by the way. Everything is okay. She’s happy for us, though she did tell me to tell you that if you ever hurt me she will have to kill you with her katana,” Eren smiled at the ridiculousness of her sister’s threat. She didn’t even _have_ a katana.

“Tell her I would never dream of it. And if it ever does happen, I have my own katana to defend myself,” Levi smirked.

“No, you don’t,” Eren frowned. There was no way.

“Oh, yes I do,” Levi admitted, thinking of its hiding spot behind the TV in his room. It was really only bought as a joke when he had visited an anime convention during his anime phase but he had stuck with it all this time because you never know when someone might need a really big knife.

“That’s the hottest thing you have ever said to me,” Eren muttered, cheeks suddenly looking very pink. Levi raised an eyebrow, a very small smirk pulling at his lips.

“Oh, yeah?” he whispered, leaning up a bit to get closer to Eren’s face. His hands traveled down to grip at Eren’s waist and thighs. Eren held on to Levi’s shoulders as he bit his lip. They both knew where this was going.

Before Eren could answer that yes, that was in fact the hottest thing he had ever heard because the thought of Levi with a sword all sweaty and shirtless as he fought people was something completely out of this world. They met each other half way. As always, their lips came together slowly at first but then crashed forcefully. It always seemed like they could never get enough of each other no matter how many times they kissed and touched. It was like every kiss was the first kiss, every touch the first touch, every burning feeling in their hearts the first one.

Their lips moved together in perfect harmony, each knowing the moves and likes of the other now that they had kissed so many times. When Eren felt Levi’s tongue swipe his bottom lip he knew it was because Levi wanted to go inside. Every time Eren gripped Levi’s shoulder harder, Levi knew the younger was liking what he was doing. Once Eren began to bite and pull at Levi’s bottom lip, Levi knew it was Eren asking to get rougher, more playful. And once Levi’s hand would make its way up through Eren’s perfect body and into his hair, Eren knew Levi was going to pull at it. He could never hide the satisfied smirk that would come onto his face when Levi’s fingers would dip into his head.

They had grown accustomed to each other. They knew what each liked and enjoyed the most. Their sweet kisses would never last too long and would soon morph into hungry bites and sucks. Their need to be closer than physically possible was overwhelming them both. A fleeting thought about the fact that they were in Levi’s office and this was extremely unprofessional crossed both their minds but they ignored it. The door was closed anyway.

They continued like that, hands wandering around as lips moved together. More than once Levi had to hush Eren and even go as far as put a hand on his mouth as he worked on his neck. Eren was just too damn loud and he didn’t need the brats outside hearing how well he was working Eren (although that sounded pretty hot now that he thought about it). It was when their lips met again and Eren unbuttoned Levi’s dress shirt that the door flung open.

“Levi, you ready for—” Isabel stopped dead in her tracks with a yelp. Immediately, Eren jumped off Levi like he had been electrocuted, but it was too late. Isabel had already seen enough, not to mention that Eren’s disheveled hair and his blush along with Levi’s swollen red lips and his unbuttoned shirt that revealed half his chest was enough of an indicator as to what they were doing. Levi silently cursed himself because he couldn’t believe he had forgotten that Isabel and Farlan were coming to have lunch with him.

“Oh,” Isabel said, her face pink but her eyes gleaming, “I see you’re already having dessert.”

Eren turned even redder as he tried to fix his hair and look like he definitely wasn’t making out right now. Levi, on the other hand, kept his head cool and calmly buttoned up his shirt. He passed a hand through his hair to smooth it out and discreetly shifted in his pants to hide the boner Eren had given him.

Farlan was standing next to his wife, right by the door. He had the biggest smile on his face and Levi just _knew_ the teasing wouldn’t stop. He sighed and mentally prepared himself for the most horrible lunch date of his life. Really, Levi and Eren were not made for sneaking around. They were not slick at all, which was ridiculous because their make out sessions usually occurred in a private place that Levi legally owned so you would think the possibility of being seen would be minimal.

Levi sighed, accepting his fate. He went to his desk, moved some papers around while shoving others in drawers. He looked at Eren, who was standing around awkwardly like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Will I see you tonight?” Levi muttered as quietly as possible so his gossiping friends wouldn’t hear. Eren nodded eagerly before a small smile appeared on his face. Levi could almost smile himself at the sight. He settled for a small peck on the younger’s lips instead. Of course, they had done dirtier and more embarrassing things together but the action was so innocent, cute, and loving that Eren couldn’t help but blush widely. At the sight, Levi _did_ smile slightly.

“I’ll see you then,” the elder said before walking over to his friends, who looked like they were about to explode with excitement.

“Save it for when I give a fuck,” Levi told them, walking past them and leading the way out. The couple quickly followed but not before Isabel made eye contact with Eren and winked at him knowingly. Eren only covered his face with his hands.

***

While Levi had lunch with his friends, who seemed capable of only teasing and prodding for information, Eren spent his day telling his own friends about his relationship with Levi. They had made plans to meet up after Mikasa’s shift, just like they did every Friday. He decided he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. He told his friends upfront, but decided to tell them only the necessary things.

“I fucking knew it!” Jean claimed, grinning widely. Marco next to him only rolled his eyes, which was severely contradicted by the smile on his face. No one was really too surprised. Their reactions were actually underwhelming. They said that they had suspected for months, specially during Valentine’s Day. The mention of the holiday sparked a memory in Sasha’s mind and she quickly told the group about the time she saw Eren buying all those roses. Eren obviously grew red at the memory of that because he very distinctly remembered having flower petals stuck to his back and thighs that night. He knew he shouldn’t have filled the bed with the petals because they could get in the way, but he just loved the way they looked too much.

At the sight of Eren’s face, everyone knew exactly what had gone down that day and didn’t hesitate to make his life a living hell about it. They asked obscene questions and tried to coax answers out of Eren even after he refused. Needless to say, Eren regretted ever telling them anything.

Eren saw that it was almost time for Levi to get out of work. He told Mikasa he would be having dinner with Levi tonight so he would be home late. She nodded but asked him to be careful and to let him know when he arrived at the elder’s house. Everyone in the group cooed and teased almost incessantly.

When he got to Levi’s place he sent a quick text to Mikasa to let her know he had arrived. He had knocked on the door a couple of times but there was no answer. He wondered if the elder had to stay at work late today. Levi had wasted time making out with him and even had a large lunch break with his friends so it would make sense if he had to catch up on paperwork. Eren hoped he was wrong because he really needed to pee and he didn’t know how long Levi would take to come home.

After waiting for a few minutes, he remembered he had used Levi’s spare key on Valentine’s Day to get inside the house and plan his surprise. If he remembered correctly, it should be under the plant by the door. He moved quickly to check and he found that it really was there. He picked it up and opened the front door. He didn’t bother locking it since Levi would be coming soon anyways. He rushed to the bathroom in Levi’s room to relieve himself. Once he was done, he washed his hands and made his way to the kitchen. He looked around, thinking that maybe he would throw something together for when Levi came home. Eren only knew the basics of cooking, which consisted on how to avoid fires. That was about it. But he was still really sorry about lying to Levi about Mikasa and wanted to make up for it.

He searched around the kitchen, noting the ingredients that Levi had and wrecking his brain to see what he could possibly make with what was available. Once he found that Levi had old rice in the fridge he decided he would give fried rice a go. He would have tried to add some chicken but decided against it because he didn’t want to accidentally give them salmonella.

He quickly got to work, knowing it was only a matter of time before Levi would come in through the door. He took out all the vegetables he could find in the fridge, which were basically peas, carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers. Once the skillet he had put on was hot, he added the vegetables along with some chopped onions to fry them. He tried to rememberwhat to do next. He had done this with Armin a million times when they were younger and didn’t have to rely on ramen and beer.

_The eggs!_ , Eren remembered.

He took two eggs and beat them while the veggies were frying. Once the veggies looked nice and tender (he hoped), he moved them all to one side of the skillet and poured the beaten eggs on the other side. He began to scramble the eggs and hope to dear god he wouldn’t spill anything. He continued to mix everything together, sometimes glancing over to the living room to see if Levi had come yet. It was almost six now, a full hour after Levi usually heads out of the shop. Eren briefly wondered if something had gone wrong. But he shook his head, Levi was probably just late because of paper work, like he had thought before.

Eren distracted himself from his thoughts by adding the rice and mixing it with the vegetables. He poured the soy sauce on top and continued to stir. It would only be a couple of minutes for the rice to heat through.

Right at that moment that Eren was stirring the rice, Levi was outside of his house door, staring at it like he was in a trance. The elder had just gotten home from work but the light in the house was on. Levi always turns off the lights when he’s not home. He wondered if Hanji had broken into his house again but then remembered that he had been with her right now in the shop. He frowned. Had someone really broken into his house? But the lock didn’t seem broken.

He reached for the handle and opened the door. It wasn’t even locked. Levi quietly sneaked inside his own house and subtly hung his coat and keys by the door. He made his way through the hallway that led into the living room. As soon as he arrived, the smell of food reached his nose. What kind of burglar stays for dinner?

Levi was seriously starting to wonder what the hell was going on. He walked slowly and quietly to the kitchen so he wouldn’t be heard by the potential danger that was making something that smelled heavenly in there. He peeked his head inside the kitchen and saw Eren, standing in front of the stove, stirring something with a wooden spoon, his back to Levi. The elder visibly relaxed. Of course it was Eren.

He leaned against the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen, crossing his arms in the process. He watched as Eren continued to stir and add something that looked like soy sauce. And then the younger began to hum a song Levi didn’t recognize, his hips swaying a bit to the rhythm. The hum slowly turned into singing as the younger turned off the stove and stepped to the side to look for plates in the cabinets overhead. His back remained to Levi, who was quietly enjoying the show.

First, he comes home to a house that isn’t empty for the first time since Petra’s death. Then, he walks in to see that not only is someone waiting for him to come home, but they have prepared dinner for him. And finally, he sees his gorgeous boyfriend dance and sing in the most adorable yet sexy way ever. Levi allowed his lips to curl into a genuine smile. He could get used to this.

“What did I do to deserve this?” Levi said, breaking Eren’s song mid way. Eren almost dropped the plate that was in his hand when he jumped out of surprise. He yelled a “fuck!” as he held tightly onto the plate so it wouldn’t slip through his fingers. The younger quickly turned around to see Levi leaning against the wall, smiling even more at how Eren got surprised.

“You asshole! I got so scared! How long have you been standing there?” he put his hand against his chest, trying to calm down his heart.

“Long enough to see your little dance moves. You should show me that little move you do with your hips sometime,” Levi teased, stepping forward to see what Eren was making.

“You wish,” Eren said but knew very well it would be a dream come true if he could have Levi strapped onto a chair as he danced right in front of his eyes. The thought of it had Eren’s face heating up so quickly he turned to serve the food onto the plates so Levi would not see his face. But Levi was more perceptive than Eren thought. He saw the way Eren’s cheeks reddened and decided that they would definitely have to try that some time.

“What did you make?” Levi asked.

“Fried rice. I hope you don’t mind I used your things. I thought it would be nice if you came home to a cooked meal, you know?” Eren said, his voice a little small, like he actually expected Levi to be upset about this.

“I don’t mind at all, Eren. You do whatever you feel like here…as long as you clean up afterwards,” Levi answered and watched as Eren brightened up a bit. They both knew what that meant. Eren was basically part of Levi’s home now.

“Come on, the food is ready. You came just in time,” Eren said, already making his way towards the dining room table.

They ate dinner together and it was the best feeling in the world. Levi had complimented Eren’s cooking, saying it was actuallybetter than he thought it was going to be. This made Eren beam with so much pride and joy that Levi began to consider making Eren cook for him more often.

They spent dinner talking about each other’s day. Levi heard that Eren had finally told his friends about them. They had taken it well, apparently and didn’t judge Eren at all. He was only a little surprised to hear that Jean had predicted the outcome from the beginning. Levi had met the man when he was almost drunk; he never thought the Horseface would be so perceptive. Similarly, Eren learned about Levi’s day. Turns out that after his lunch with Isabel and Farlan, Levi went to work to find Hanji hanging out with Erwin. They talked for a while about the fact that Hanji got a research opportunity at the university and was considering accepting it. Eren said that he hoped she would because she was actually a really good teacher even though she was a little eccentric and talked too much.

After they had dinner and cleaned up, they decided to watch some more episodes of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. But Levi insisted on showering first, which gave Eren a couple of ideas that quickly came true. Levi was rarely one to deny his brat anything, after all; much less if it was something as pleasant as a blowjob.

They were in the sofa watching the show when there was a loud knock at Levi’s door. Levi wondered who it could be. It was almost midnight on a Friday and neither of his friends had told him anything about coming over. But then again, his friends were always ones to barge in.

Levi ripped himself from Eren’s arms to walk over to the door. He looked through the peephole but only saw darkness. He sighed, thinking it was probably Hanji playing yet another prank on him. He opened the door and immediately upon the sight of a tall man with the dark hair and a hat, he cursed loudly and shut the door with as much force as he could. He quickly locked it and rushed to the living room. That door wouldn’t hold. He had seen the man’s guns on his hips.

“Levi?” Eren called when he saw the elder rush past him into the kitchen. Oh god, Eren was here. How would Levi be able to protect him?

“Fucking shit. Fucking hell. This cannot be happening right now,” Levi growled out, coming out from the kitchen with his knife set.

“Eren, listen to me,” he said, holding Eren’s face in his hands, “Go to the room and call 911,”

Eren looked at him curiously but also very scared. He had never seen Levi like this: frantic and worried.

“Wait, what?” Eren said, but then the door flew open with what sounded like an explosion. Eren immediately threw himself on the floor. Levi only flinched. Quickly, Levi turned the couch towards the door for cover. He hid behind it, the kitchen knife set by his side.

“Eren! That’s Kenny, Petra’s dad. The one that wants to kill me,” he explained quickly, dragging Eren behind the couch so they would be protected from the gunshots that were spraying from the hallway and into the living room. Things crashed on the floor, the TV broke, the walls became littered with holes.

“What the actual fuck! And he’s here to kill you?! Seriously?” Eren exclaimed, his eyes wide and scared. Levi stared at him and noticed he was reacting a lot calmer than Levi would have ever expected. He was obviously shaken up and worried but he wasn’t in complete shock like most people would be. He looked ready to spring into action at any moment. He seemed so prepared for and comfortable with danger that Levi thought Eren was perhaps someone very brave in his past life.

“It seems so with the bullets he’s shooting at us. Now, it’s too dangerous to get you to the room with the shots going off. Stay here, don’t move from behind this couch, don’t even peek your head up. Get your phone and call 911,” he was ordering around because that was what he knew. He was a man with only knives in a gun fight and the love of his life was right next to him. He had too much to lose to not have a plan in mind.

“My phone is on the coffee table!” Eren noted, which only made Levi mutter yet another curse.

“Then we’re going to have to get it once he stops,” Levi said right before the shooting came to a halt. He very carefully rose his head above the sofa and saw Kenny walk up to the threshold between the hallway and the living room. He was a mere 10 feet away. Levi picked up one of the chopping knives, held it in his hand to get a feel before looking back up the sofa and throwing it at Kenny. Surprisingly, it hit the attacker in the shoulder.

“Holy shit!” Eren muttered, staring at Levi with pure shock.

“Fuck, Levi,” Kenny said in French, his voice a little deeper than Levi remembered, “I see you still haven’t lost your touch after all these years. You have always been a trouble maker.”

Eren, contrary to Levi’s advice, peeked his head from the couch to see the man pull the knife out of his shoulder like it was a splinter. The only signs of pain were a wince and a hiss.

“Kenny, what are you doing here?” Levi asked in French (he doubted the man spoke anything else), still behind the sofa, taking cover but also trying to come up with a plan.

“You know why I’m here, Levi, don’t play coy with me. I’m here to collect my debt. A life for a life, you could say,” Kenny was walking, getting closer to the couch. Levi heard his footsteps and didn’t hesitate to fling another knife. This one missed Kenny’s head by centimeters, only cutting his cheekbone as the knife hit the wall and wobbled a bit because of the force. It effectively kept the man from walking closer to them for a while.

“Holy shit, this _cannot_ be happening right now,” Eren whispered, a little shocked that he was in a life or death situation and that his boyfriend was throwing fucking _knives_ at people. And he was really fucking good at it. Levi tried his best to reassure him with only a look because that was as much as he could offer at the moment. At the sight of Levi’s glance, Eren nodded and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to be pulled together. Levi was out here keeping this insane killer away from shooting at them with mere kitchen knives. The least Eren could do was find a way to get his phone from that coffee table.

“Kenny, that happened years ago. It was an accident. It wasn’t my fault!” Levi said, the words felt strange coming out of his mouth. He had never said them before. He had never felt like the accident wasn’t his fault. What changed? What had made it change? His eyes drifted over to Eren, who was leaning his head against the couch with his eyes closed in order to calm down. Was it Eren? Did getting all of that out and confessing make him realize that? Or was it the fact that Eren, who knew what that feeling was like better than anyone he had met, told him that he had no fault in it?

He didn’t have much time to think about it anymore. He heard Kenny’s footsteps once again. Levi looked at the knives next to him. He had three Chef’s Knives, a cheese knife, and a cleaver. The cheese knife and the cleaver would be hard to wield in close combat. He should save the Chef’s Knives as much as he could. He picked up the cheese knife before looking over the couch and throwing it with as much accuracy as he could. It landed on Kenny’s foot, piercing right through. The man yelled in complete rage. He struggled to catch his breath as he kneeled down to the floor.

“You’re really pissing me off, Levi. Just let me kill you. It’s the right thing to do. I took you in, treated you like my own son. Then you took my only daughter. She was young and innocent and you took her from me,” Kenny growled out, staring at his foot. The cheese knife seemed to have cut through, but not by much. It hadn’t pierced the floor below his foot so the man wasn’t stuck. But _fuck_ , it was painful. He wondered if he would be able to walk once he pulled it out.

“How did you even find me?” Levi asked because in all honesty, what the fuck? The man had come all the way from France to hunt him down here. How the hell did he know where Levi was? Meanwhile, Eren was torn between calming down and summoning all his knowledge of the French he had learned in high school. Levi and Kenny talked to each other in the language so fast and easily that Eren couldn’t catch up. He only picked up certain curse words that Levi muttered only because Jean loved to say them all the time. Most of the conversation between the two was lost on Eren, but he could get the gist because he was wondering the same thing Levi was. How did Kenny find Levi?

“You think I wouldn’t watch those kids you used to hang out with all the time? That red head and that tall blonde kid,” Kenny said in between breaths as he tried to pull the knife out of his foot little by little, “I kept a close eye on them for years hoping that you would reach out to them and tell them where you were. But you never did. I admit, after a coupleof years I almost lost hope. I thought you would never think twice of them and that I was following a dead end. But I still maintained updated on them throughout the years, just in case. They were the only lead I had, I couldn’t let them go. And then three months ago, they packed up their things and left France. I said to myself, now why would they do that? They both had stable jobs, a nice place to live in, they have known only France all their lives. Why would they suddenly move? Perhaps for a job opportunity, or maybe to see an old friend? It took me a while to track them down, to be honest, but I managed. Once I found the city, finding your house wasn’t much harder.”

Kenny hissed and clenched his eyes shut as he finally pulled the whole knife out of his foot. He was really going to get serious now. He began to load to his guns. Levi heard the noise and a million thoughts were running through his head. He only had four knives nowand Kenny had two guns with who knows how many rounds of ammunition. He cursed before glancing at his side to look at Eren, except that Eren wasn’t there. He scooted to peek at the other side of the couch. Eren was crawling over to the coffee table a few feet from the couch. He watched as Eren put his hand on the table, quickly grabbed the phone, and crawled backwards towards safety. Once he was behind the couch, he sighed in relief and held the phone against his chest.

Then, a gunshot went off, breaking right through the couch and grazing Eren on his arm. He wasn’t hit but the gash that was left on his arm began to bleed profusely.

“Fuck!” Eren screamed, but quickly clamped his mouth shut by biting the space between his thumb and his wrist. He dropped the phone on his lap to press his other hand on the wound.

“For shame, Levi,” Kenny said in English with a very amused tone, “you didn’t tell me you had a guest.”

Levi was surprised to hear Kenny speak English. He remembered that they taught the language in school over in France but he thought that became a thing after Kenny’s time. He thought maybe the man learned by himself since they had lived in a highly touristic area. He quickly snapped out of his trivial thoughts, however. Kenny’s knowledge of English didn’t matter. Eren just got shot. Levi quickly grabbed a knife from his side and ripped a part of his shirt. He took Eren’s hand away from his shoulder and tied the shirt around it to stop the bleeding. Levi looked at him. Eren appeared shaken up, scared, and in pain, but conscious and alert. He put the phone back into Eren’s bloody palm before he picked the younger’s head and placed it in between his hands.

“I’m sorry,” Levi whispered before kissing Eren tenderly. More gunshots went off around them but they remained unscathed.

“Call the police, I’ll end this right now,” Levi said, his eyes now no longer as soft as they had been when he was about to kiss the brunette. They were now sharp and cold. The amount of concentration and determination he had was clear on his face.

Levi turned to his knives. He grabbed the meat cleaver and threw it at Kenny, who managed to duck and dodge it. But by the time Kenny rose his head back up, Levi was upon him like a cheetah. He had a Chef’s knife on each hand, wielding each so expertly Eren wondered what kind of man he was dating. Eren watched as Levi slashed and stabbed at Kenny, who surprisingly managed to dodge most of the critical hits. He simply endured a couple of scratches and gashes, but none of his organs were hit.

Whenever Levi pulled back to catch his breath, Kenny would raise one of his guns and fire at him. Levi would simply move with impossible speed over to a table or a chair and hide to escape the bullets. Still, he could only remain in each hiding spot for a couple of seconds because as soon as Kenny would figure out where he was he would immediately shoot at that spot, which was why Levi didn’t dare hide behind the sofa again. He couldn’t risk Eren getting hurt again.

“Tell me, Levi,” Kenny smiled, making Levi narrow his eyes in suspicion, “who is this guest who very sneakily got past me to get his phone? I bet he’s trying to call the police. How cute. By the time they get here you will both be dead. Is he your boyfriend? The only thing you need to be a complete disgrace is to be a fucking fag.”

Levi couldn’t help but growl at the man’s words. He charged at him, swinging his knife with incredible speed and agility. He managed to make a small but deep cut on Kenny’s chest. The man grunted and watched as his blood spilled from his chest and onto his ripped shirt.

“Have I hit a sore spot?” Kenny teased before continuing to dodge Levi’s attempts at stabbing him. Eren had been listening all this time because the man had suddenly been speaking in English. So he had seen Eren grab his phone and had done nothing? Was he planning to do something else with him or was he just not interested in Eren at all? Maybe he was so caught up with the knife in his foot that he couldn’t really spare a glance at him. Eren tried to think, to figure out his enemy like he had seen inall those action movies he loved so much. But life wasn’t an action movie. He couldn’t dodge bullets or prevent Levi from getting hurt. Eren picked up his phone and unlocked it. He quickly dialed 911 and heard it ring.

Eren looked over the couch carefully to see Levi and Kenny in a struggle. Levi had only one knife on his hand now and he was trying to jam it inside Kenny’s throat. Kenny, who was against the wall, was trying his best to keep the knife from his throat. They both seemed of equal strength since the knife did not tilt to either one of them. Eren heard the 911 operator on the line and quickly whispered his answer.

“Yes, sir, we have received several calls from the neighbors about a disturbance at that address. I assure you, the police are already on their way,” the operator said and Eren breathed a deep sigh of relief. They would be here soon. Things would be over soon.

But then Eren heard a gunshot and a grunt. His head snapped over the sofa and saw blood seeping through Levi’s side, a gun in front of him. Eren’s eyes widened; he dropped his phone from his ear.

“Levi!” Eren cried out and was about to move when Levi put his hand up.

“I’m okay, Eren. He only grazed me. I’m not hit,” his voice was hoarse and strained, like he was trying to not sound weak. Maybe Levi had only been grazed but the amount of blooding coming from the spot below his ribs was immense. Levi’s knees buckled beneath him and Eren grew pale at the sight.

But then he saw Kenny towering over Levi, a joyous grin plastered on his face that didn’t match well with his crazy eyes. He threw one of his guns aside but rose his other one. Before Eren could think, he rushed away from the couch and over to wall where one of Levi’s knives had missed Kenny and gotten stuck. He pulled it out and went directly over to Kenny with every intention of killing him, or at least hurting him. But Kenny had plenty of experience with this. If he could dodge Levi’s hits, the hits of a man who had known how to wield a knife since he was a kid, he could definitely dodge the hits of a man running on pure adrenaline.

“Wow, you’re braver than I thought, Aaron,” Kenny said in the middle of his dodges. Kenny quickly reached over and grabbed Eren’s shirt, bunching it up in his fist. For a split second, Eren let his body take the reins. He did what felt right. Without any hesitation, he dropped the knife and used his now free hand to grab Kenny’s wrist. He used his other to push Kenny’s shoulder back so he was standing perpendicular to Eren. Then, Eren used his foot to swiftly kick Kenny’s legs, effectively making him lose his balance and hit the floor. Eren was left looking down at Kenny.

“Actually, it’s pronounced Eren,” he said, kneeling down quickly and taking back the knife that he had dropped. He tried to move and take Kenny’s guns but the man was too fast. He was back on his feet in a second. He stared at Eren with a new sense of understanding. He had underestimated the brat.

“I don’t have time for you. I’m here for your boyfriend,” Kenny said before expertly taking the knife out of his hands and hitting Eren on the forehead with the butt of his gun, knocking him to the floor. Kenny then turned to Levi, who was still bleeding on the floor, but very much awake. He still looked ready for a fight.

Sirens were heard faintly in the background. Eren heard Kenny curse quietly.

“Well, I guess this is your end, Levi. I hope you enjoy your time in hell,” Kenny spat and pointed his gun directly at Levi’s head. The raven tried to stand and fight, but his side felt like it was splitting open and he was feeling light headed. Still, he had to fight. He had to fight for Eren. But he barely made the attempt when Kenny planted the knife he had taken from Eren into Levi’s thigh. Levi screamed. He felt the pain rip through his thigh and spread all over his body. His vision blurred and his face paled. He was sweating all over and was only vaguely aware of what Kenny was saying.

“Stay still, I only have one bullet left and I’d hate to get rid of you with a knife. That’s much messier,” Kenny warned before taking aim again. He stood a couple of feet away from him, as if he didn’t even want to get Levi’s blood splattered on him. This time, Levi didn’t try to get up. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. The blood spilling from his side and his thigh was making him dizzy. Levi saw as Kenny pointed his gun at his forehead but vaguely registered it. He was looking at Kenny’s side, where Eren laid, his eyes barely open. He stared at Eren, his love, his life. This was it. This was the end for them.He looked over at Eren and forced a small smile onto his lips. He then looked back at the barrel of the gun. He closed his eyes and waited for the shot. He heard it, loud and clear, but only after a series of grunts that implied a struggle.

Levi opened his eyes to see the gun exactly where he had last seen it last but farther away. His eyes wandered down and saw Eren before him, clutching his stomach as blood pooled around him. Levi’s eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. Eren was there, only five feet away, bleeding to death. Why? He was over there on the floor a second ago. Did he try to wrestle the gun from Kenny and it accidentally went off? Did he jump in front of Levi to save him?

At the thought, Levi grew rigid. He looked at Eren’s body once again and then looked up at Kenny, who was still holding his now useless gun. Suddenly, Levi let out a low growl. His eyes hardened and color finally reached his face. He pulled the knife out of his thigh like he was plucking a flower from the ground. With a rush of adrenaline, he pounced on Kenny and didn’t hesitate to stab him in the stomach and chest. He only landed two blows before he was pulled away from the man by policemen.

Everything after that was a blur. Levi saw everything happen but didn’t quite register it. He saw the flashing lights of the police cars and heard the orders of paramedics as Eren was wheeled into an ambulance. He felt as another paramedic examined him and saw his wounds before taking him inside an ambulance as well. He didn’t even notice he was riding a car for the first time since his trip out of town with Erwin and Hanji. He could only think of Eren. Eren who he had met three months ago and had fallen in love with. Eren who got him to open up and feel what it was like to not be alone for once. Eren who wrote cute messages on his bathroom mirror and cooked for him without being asked to. Eren who took him on the best date of his life and who made him feel things he hadn’t even believed in. Eren who he loved more than anything in the whole world. Eren who now laid on a table in an ambulance with a gunshot wound in his stomach. His Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. Sorry!  
> Also, I had to use that scene where Eren uses Annie's move to throw Jean to the floor in Season 1. It's just one of my favorite Eren scenes!


	20. Killing Me Softly

Levi woke up hours later with the biggest headache of his life. Everything from the crown of his head to the tip of his toes hurt like a bitch. He fluttered his eyes open and immediately closed them because of the blinding white light seeping from above.

“What the fuck?” he tried to say, but his voice came out hoarse and rough like sandpaper. It hurt to speak. Immediately upon his words, he heard shuffling and murmuring in the room. He tried to open his eyes again, it was much easier to see this time.

“Oh my god, Levi! You’re awake!” Levi heard Hanji squeak. He immediately felt his headache worsening. His eyes adjusted to the light of the room and he rose his head a little from the bed to look about. He saw Hanji and Erwin on his right side while Isabel and Farlan sat on his left. They all looked at him with a mixture of disbelief, relief, worry, and what was unmistakably pity.

“What the hell is going on? How are you guys here?” he asked, trying to pull a hand up to rub his head but his left side felt like it was ripping open.

“I’m your emergency contact, apparently,” Erwin said, “and I called Isabel and Farlan over.”

“Emergency conta…?” Levi trailed off and then his eyes widened, he shot up on his bed, “where is Eren?!”

“Levi!” Hanji said, pushing him back down on the bed with a little struggle from the raven, “a bullet grazed you left side below your ribs and you were stabbed in the thigh! You can’t move!”

“Shitty Glasses, I swear to god. I don’t have time for this. It’s no big deal, alright? I’m fine!”

“Fine?!” Isabel cut in, looking more upset than Levi had ever seen her, “you have a stab wound, Levi! You were attacked in the middle of the night by that—that monster! You could have died! You’re everything but fine!”

Levi, and everyone in the room, stared at Isabel, surprised that she had exploded like that. She was usually so happy and full of life. It was rare to see her upset about anything. She noticed their stares and took a deep breath.

“I’m just saying, Levi, you’re not okay and that’s fine. Just acknowledge it and things will get better. You have to stay in bed and rest. You’ve gone through a lot.”

Hums of agreement filled the room and Levi could almost explode in rage. So what if he was in pain? What if his head had begun to spin when he had tried to get up so suddenly before? None of that mattered. What mattered was Eren. Where was he now? Was he okay? God, let him be okay.

“Fine,” Levi agreed, laying his head back on the pillow and watching all of his friends visibly relax, “just tell me where Eren is. How is he?”

Levi watched as everyone around him shared nervous glances before looking away from him. Erwin looked at the floor, Hanji pretended to look at his heart monitor; Isabel buried her head in her hands while Farlan twiddled his thumbs. Just when Levi was about to demand an answer, Erwin spoke.

“Armin told me that he…he’s in surgery, Levi. He’s been in surgery for about six hours now. Apparently, the bullet punctured his stomach and is still in there. They’re trying to repair the damage and remove the bullet, if possible.”

Levi could always count on Erwin to give it to him straight and he liked that, but for once he wanted the man to sugar coat things. Eren was laying on a surgical table right now. He was being opened up and fixed right fucking _now_. Levi should be there right outside his door waiting for updates. He shouldn’t be here resting and “getting better”. It’s his fault Eren got hurt in the first place. He should be there with him.

“Don’t do that, Levi,” Hanji warned and shook her head when she saw him give her a questionable glance, “don’t blame yourself. You didn’t do this. This wasn’t your fault. Besides, I’m no doctor but I didn’t hear anything about the bullet hitting his spine or his kidney or a major blood artery. If it is lodged in his stomach, it is highly likely they can remove it and repair the damage it did. There is a high chance that Eren will survive this.”

“Yeah,” Farlan offered, “not to mention the paramedics got there pretty soon after the injury so they were able to prevent major blood loss.”

When Levi stared at him, Farlan answered that they knew this because Armin had gotten the news from Eren’s doctor, who was sending a nurse outside to keep them updated every hour, thanks to Mikasa’s begging.

“Things will be okay,” Isabel reassured him, bringing her hand to his to provide comfort. Levi closed his eyes. Things weren’t okay. Even if what they were saying was true, a million things could go wrong in surgery. Eren could have caught an infection before receiving treatment or there could be an intern in the OR that could fuck up. There could be too much damage, there could be too much blood loss. There could be so many problems and every single one was rushing through Levi’s mind like a bullet. _What a fucking choice of words_ , Levi thought. He could almost laugh.

“Jesus fuck,” Levi said before there was a knock on his door and a bald man in a lab coat and a white mustache walked in.

“Hello, Mr. Ackerman, I see you’re awake,” the man said with a small smile, “I’m Dr. Pixis, your doctor. You have gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble, sir.”

Levi only huffed in response, but winced when the movement made his side ache.

“Oh, your pain killers must be wearing off. I’ll have a nurse on that as soon as possible,” the man said before picking up Levi’s chart and looking it over, “so a stab to the thigh, no damage to the bone or the tendons, and a wound caused by a bullet under your ribs, also no damage done to the lungs or vital organs. You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Ackerman. This could have been a lot more serious than it is. Your only problem now is handling the pain and making sure you clean your wounds and change your bandages. You’ll be hospitalized for a couple of days, however, just to monitor you.”

“Tch, how long?” Levi asked, raising his head a bit to look at the man better.

“Maybe three days, maybe a week. Depends on how you recover,” he answered and raised an eyebrow to see if that answer was satisfactory enough before he continued, “now, if you could all please say your goodbyes to Mr. Ackerman. You really shouldn’t be here at all but alas, I have a soft heart and let you in anyway. But seriously, it’s time to go because I need to talk to Mr. Ackerman privately. You will be allowed to visit him again tomorrow.”

“Wait,” Levi said, making everyone in the room pause their movements, “why? What do you need to say that is so private?”

“Mr. Ackerman—” the doctor began but Levi shook his head and interrupted him.

“Dr. Pixis, don’t beat around the bush,”

A small smile came across the doctor’s face before he sighed and answered honestly.

“There is a detective outside that demanded to talk to you as soon as you were conscious,”

Levi stared at the doctor for a while, registering the information before he sighed and looked over at Isabel and Farlan.

“You guys should stay then. This involves you,” he said before reaching over for the control next to him to lift the head of the bed. He rose it enough for him to see without having to crane his neck. The doctor nodded at the statement before ushering Hanji and Erwin out, who gave Levi a look that screamed “we will talk later.”

Soon after the doctor stepped out, a man in a suit and a badge on his belt came inside. He looked like the typical detective. The only thing he was missing to complete the cliche was a trench coat and a fedora. Levi almost rolled his eyes.

“Good morning, Mr. Ackerman, I’m Detective Hannes. I’m here to talk to you about what happened last night,” the detective said before looking at Levi’s friends. Before he could question their presence, Levi spoke.

“I assure you, detective, you will want my friends here when you go through questioning. Take a seat and begin,” Levi said, trying his best to push back the thoughts of Eren and what he must be going through right now. Levi can’t do anything at the moment. Nothing at all, except provide information to the police so they can arrest that son of a bitch.

“Just walk us through the incident to the best of your recollection. The doctor said you don’t seem to have any head injuries so I assume you remember most of what happened, correct?” Hannes said, taking the seat Erwin occupied previously.

“Of course,”

“Then please begin,” he pulled out a notepad and clicked a pen.

“Eren and I were at my place lastnight watching Netflix—”

“Mr. Jeager, you mean, correct?”

“Yes,” Levi gritted through his teeth before continuing, “We were on Netflix when there was a knock at my door. I assumed it was one of my friends because they have a habit of showing up unannounced. When I opened the door he was there, Kenny Ackerman, my adoptive father from France. He had two guns and used them to attack us. I acted in self defense with my kitchen knives before the police arrived.”

“I see,” Hannes scribbled something on his notepad, “and do you know why he was suddenly attacking you? What was his motive?”

Levi remained quiet for a little bit. He felt Isabel’s hand squeeze his lightly as Farlan looked at him reassuringly. Levi cursed every single god in existence.

“Years after my adoption in France, I was with his daughter driving to a bakery when our car crashed. She died there and Kenny blamed me for it. He vowed to kill me for taking his daughter away from him. In order to escape, I moved here to Rosemaria. I didn’t hear of him since the accident. This is the first time I’ve had any sort of contact with him.”

“How did he find you?”

“He said he kept a close eye on Isabel and Farlan here”—he glanced at them quickly before turning to the detective again—“they recently moved here from France so he followed them and tracked me down.”

“I can’t believe it,” Isabel said, a hand coming to cover her mouth that hung open in disbelief, “he followed us here? I—we had no idea. We never once felt like we were being watched or followed in France at all!”

“Are you sure?” the detective said, “you never received any threats or mysterious messages? Did you have any contact with him after the car accident?”

“None at all. We never even saw him walking in the street. We really had no idea,” Farlan told Hannes before moving to look at Levi.

“I’m so sorry, Levi. This is all our fault. If we wouldn’t have come he wouldn’t have found you.”

“Farlan, don’t be so ridiculous. It’s not like you knew you were leading him here. Besides, this means that he can finally get caught and be charged with attempted murder, correct?” Levi looked at the detective for reassurance.

“Well,” he pursed his lips and Levi almost bit his tongue off at the possibility of this man walking free, “if he even survives, yes. But you stabbed him in the chest and abdomen, Mr. Ackerman. He has a punctured lung and damage to his liver. Not to mention he has multiple gashes and scratches around his body, as well as a stab wound to the foot and shoulder. He is in surgery at the moment. But I assure you, if he survives he will be handcuffed to the bed with guards outside his door. You will probably never have to worry about him again after his trial.”

Levi breathed out a sigh of relief. He never wanted to hear from that man ever again.

“Now,” Hannes continued, “according to Dr. Pixis, you and Mr. Jeager were gravely injured. Can you walk me through what happened?”

Levi didn’t speak. He only stared at the detective, his eyes narrowed, as if trying to read what was inside the man’s mind.

“Mr. Ackerman,” the detective reassured, “the more I know about how you defended yourself and how your injuries were caused, the bigger the case against your attacker. Not to mention it helps to prove you were acting in self defense.”

“First, he blew open our door with his guns, I’m guessing,” Levi huffed in defeat, “that’s how he got in. When I saw him at the door I immediately closed it and locked it, but I guess he got through by blowing the lock open. Eren and I moved the couch to face the entry way and hid behind it for cover. As soon as he walked in through the door he recklessly sprayed bullets everywhere in the house, but you probably already know that from the scene of the crime. To try to hold him from getting close to us, I threw some knives at him. I hit him in the shoulder and on the foot, I forget which foot though. He shot at the couch, which caused Eren to be grazed by a bullet on his arm. Then I got into a knife fight with him, which is why he has so many wounds on him. But then he tried to shoot me, which is how I got this graze on my side. When Eren saw me bleeding, he charged at Kenny but couldn’t do much damage. At some point, Kenny hit Eren on the head and he fell. I tried to stand up to fight again but Kenny stabbed my thigh, obviously. And then he pointed his gun at my head…and—” Levi stopped, the memory of Eren’s body on the floor flashed in his mind. He scrunched up his eyes to get rid of it, but it remained burned on the back of his eyelids.

“And?” Hannes encouraged.

“And Eren stood in front of me and took the bullet,” Levi got the words out easily enough, but they left a bitter taste in his mouth and a pain in his heart that felt greater than his wounds.

“I see. So that’s how Mr. Jeager got his bullet wound. Okay, everything seems to add up. We will investigate your house for the next couple of hours just to see the crime scene. I’ll stay in contact, Mr. Ackerman. Get well soon,” Hannes said before closing his notepad, pocketing it, and walking out.

Before Isabel and Farlan could question him, his hospital door flew open.

“I cannot catch a break,” Levi muttered before seeing who was standing there.

It was Mikasa, staring at him with pure fury and resolve. Levi would almost be scared if he wasn’t already in a hospital bed. The only thing that stopped her from charging at him was Armin, who held her back by her arm.

“Mikasa! Don’t!” Armin said, struggling to keep her away from him. Inevitably, she slipped away and stomped towards him, grabbing him by his hospital gown and lifting him up close to her.

“How could you let that happen to Eren? I trusted you! Now he has a fucking bullet wound because of you! He could die and it would be your fault!” she spat venomously in his face but Levi wasn’t bothered. She wasn’t saying anything he didn’t already know.

“Mikasa!” Armin pulled her back, even going as far as shoving her away from Levi.

“I’m so sorry, Levi. She’s under a lot of stress right now. She doesn’t mean what she is sayi—” Armin began but Levi looked at him and he immediately shut up.

  
“Yes, she does. It’s fine. It’s not like she’s lying. But it was never my intention to get Eren hurt, you must know that. Eren is…important to me,” Levi admitted and watched as Armin’s eyes softened while Mikasa only seemed to grow in rage.

“You listen to me you little shit,” Mikasa said, moving past Armin and staring at Levi right in the eyes, “if Eren would have been with me in our house like he should have been, this would have never happened. But instead he was at your place and you put him in danger. If—when Eren wakes up I don’t want you anywhere near him, you got that?”

Levi heard every word of what she said but he suddenly stopped listening at the mention of Eren “waking up”.

“When he wakes up? Is he out of surgery already? How did it go?” he said, immediately moving his body forward in anticipation.

“He just got out,” Armin was the one who answered because Mikasa was busy staring at the floor like the reality of Eren out of surgery just hit her, “he—he’s stable but we don’t know when he will wake up. They managed to get out the bullet and repair most of the damage, but he’s…”

“He’s what, Armin? If he’s out of surgery and he’s stable what’s the problem?” Levi asked, eager to find out why the good news were lost on the girl and the blonde.

“The fucking problem is that he’s in a coma and we don’t know when he will wake up,” Mikasa said, finally raising her head. She looked less angry now, more hurt than anything else. Levi remembered the fact that Mikasa was Eren’s sister. Eren wasn’t the only one that lost a mom and dad those years ago. Eren was the only family Mikasa had left. She couldn’t lose him.

Levi let his body fall on the bed. He saw how quiet Isabel and Farlan were being next to him. They were in as much shock as he was. Eren is in a coma because of his wound. Eren is in a coma because of him. Eren is in a _fucking coma_.

“Get out,” Levi said, hiding his eyes with his bangs.

“What?” Mikasa gritted through her teeth.

“I _said_ , get the fuck out. Right now,” Levi said, much louder this time. Immediately, Isabel and Farlan stood up from their chairs and ushered Armin and Mikasa out. They knew that tone all too well. Isabel gave him one last reassuring glance before leaving and closing the door. Levi didn’t see it.

He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his forehead. His head hurt from all the information he just received. Everything that happened last night was clear in his head, but it somehow didn’t feel real. It felt like a nightmare, a scene in a movie he was only watching, not taking part in. It wasn’t right. That wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to spend the night with Eren quietly, cuddling and watching shows. He was supposed to wake up the next morning in his bed wrapped in Eren’s arms, no in a cold hospital bed. He glanced over at the clock on the wall above the door, it was about to be nine. He would be making Eren breakfast right now. Maybe pancakes or waffles, whichever the brunette preferred. But instead he wouldn’t be able to make Eren anything, not ever again, if he didn’t wake up.

Levi silently cursed. This was all his fault. It’s the same as Petra’s accident. He should have been more careful. He should have protected Eren at all costs instead of trusting him to take care of himself. He should have taken that damn bullet to the head and just _died_. How was he supposed to live now if Eren didn’t get better? How was he supposed to live with the fact that he killed the person closest to him once again? First he causes the crash that kills Petra, his sister, the only person that made him feel like he had a real family, the little girl that trusted him with everything. Then he goes ahead and basically kills Eren, who had done nothing but care for him and love him. The very same Eren that had saved his life those months ago and had slowly wormed himself inside his heart to piece it back together and make it whole.

Images of the brunette flashed through his mind vividly but quickly. Eren’s eyes when they first met. Eren’s smirk when he saw Levi at the coffee shop and learned his name; Eren smiling at him in that boat ride. Eren’s laugh when he found the truth behind his “lemonade”. Eren’s hooded eyes when they were about to kiss on the Ferris wheel. Eren on his knees facing the tombstones of his parents. Eren holding his hand as Levi opened up about his past. Eren’s shocked face as Levi beat his friends at beer pong. Eren wearing a flower crown, surround by rose petals on Levi’s bed. Eren, wet and dancing in the rain, singing a song he couldn’t quite get the tune of. Then the images switched from memories to visions. Eren on the floor, bleeding profusely, his eyes wide open in shock. Eren being wheeled into an ambulance. Eren on the operation table, his abdomen wide open, exposing his organs. Eren on a hospital bed, a blanket covering his face as a single flat line showed on his heart monitor.

Eren, Eren, _Eren!_

Levi felt an intolerable clench in his chest. His lungs closed up and he couldn’t breathe. His eyes began to widen in chock. Levi felt his heart pound in his chest, so loudly and rapidly he thought they were drums. Sweat sprung from every corner of his body as his body began to shake uncontrollably. His heart monitor beeped ceaselessly as Levi tried to catch his breath.

Suddenly, nurses burst into the room with a doctor shouting instructions. Levi felt someone put an oxygen mask on him as a doctor told him that everything will be okay, to breathe along with him. He felt someone grip his hand as more nonsense words of encouragement slipped into his ear. Levi shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to forget everything around him and focus on himself. He took deep, steadying breaths. Things will be okay. Eren will be okay. Levi would make sure of that. Levi will do anything it takes to make sure Eren will be okay.


	21. Your Cold Fingers and My Wilted Crown

After Levi’s panic attack, he was closely monitored by his friends and the nurses. He was beginning to feel suffocated, but it wouldn’t last too long. He had spent a week in hospital already and his thigh wound was healing greatly. He had had some trouble at first when he tried to walk for the first time because of the pain, but it slowly began to disappear. The wound at his side was now almost completely healed, thanks to the daily treatment and cleaning he hospital provided. He had slowly began to regain his energy the past week and was beginning to feel a lot better. He no longer felt dizzy or lightheaded when he made quick movements. He was walking better now, with minimal pain or limping, and his side no longer hurt when he stretched or moved his arm.

It was almost the end of the March now and Eren still hadn’t woken up. It had been a full week since Levi received the news of his coma and he had still not even visited the younger. It was not for lack of trying. Mikasa practically spent every second by Eren’s side and would not have Levi even 10 feet from his room. Not to mention Levi’s friends tried their best to prevent him from seeing Eren, saying it would only make things harder than they already were. But Levi didn’t believe that. Making things harder would be Eren dying on that hospital bed without Levi getting to see him at least once. The mere thought was ripping his heart apart.

The day after Levi had woken up from the accident, he received news from Detective Hannes that Kenny had died in surgery. The damage to his lung and his liver were too great for repair. While this was a relief to Levi, this meant that he had committed justified homicide. He would need to find a good lawyer as soon as possible and discuss his case. It was yet another problem added to his long list.

***

On the day Levi was discharged from the hospital, Armin came in to see him, much to the elder’s surprise.

“Hello, Levi,” the blonde had said when he walked into Levi’s hospital room. Levi nodded as a greeting, silently questioning why the man was visiting him.

“Levi, how long have we known each other?” Levi thought for a while but he honestly couldn’t remember. He had known for about as long as he had owned the coffee shop, but he couldn’t quite pin down the exact time.

“Years,” he said, settling for a simple answer. Armin nodded, satisfied.

“And for all those years I’ve known you I have never once seen you as happy as you were with Eren,” Armin said honestly but the use of the past tense made Levi’s heart ache.

“What’s your point?”

“My point is that I know you care about Eren. Hell, I think you actually love him. It’s because I know you and your personality that I know how hard it must have been for Eren to break through your tough exterior. It’s because I know you that I think you never would have put Eren in danger if you could have helped it. I know what happened isn’t your fault,” Armin confessed, watching Levi for his reaction. The elder was grateful but it meant nothing to him. All his friends had told him the same thing. The fact that Armin said it made no difference. The only person that could make him feel better was standing on the line between life and death.

Armin saw that Levi was yet to understand him. He sighed and just said what was on his mind.

“Levi, I support you and Eren. I disagree with Mikasa’s choice to keep you away from him. When Eren wakes up, because I believe he will, he will fight against her and I will stand by his side. You can count on me, and to prove that I’ve brought some good news,” Armin said, pausing to see if Levi was interested in hearing it. When Levi motioned for him to continue, he did.

“This past week Mikasa has been able to stay with Eren because she asked for some vacation time from work. However, it’s almost the end of March, which means that rent will be due in the beginning of April. She went back to work yesterday…she’s not here. You can see Eren now,” Levi immediately perked up at news, which only made Armin smile. Levi was at the door, waiting for Armin to lead the way before the blonde even noticed. He could only smile wider. His judgement was right and he stood by Eren in his relationship with Levi. They both seemed very happy with each other and that was all that mattered.

When they arrived at Eren’s door, Levi suddenly though that maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe his friends were right in the fact that this will make things harder. Seeing Eren there could break his heart even more. But on the other hand, how could Levi not stand by Eren’s side right now? How could he not be with him as he went through something like this? He needed to be there by his side, even if it took years.

Levi took a deep breath and put his hand on the handle of the door. He pushed it open and walked in. Armin made no move to follow Levi, giving him some time alone with Eren. Levi appreciated that a lot. He didn’t know how he would react at the sight of Eren and he didn’t want to be judged.

When he stepped in he noticed how similar this room was to his own. The bed was placed almost in the exact same spot. The only difference was that Eren’s room had a window but that didn’t make the room look any brighter. He walked towards Eren and sat on the chair by his side.

Levi didn’t know what he was expecting. It was Eren, regular Eren. He was laying on the bed, looking like he was sleeping. He stared at the brunette’s face. It looked peaceful, calm. If Levi tried hard enough he could imagine Eren was in his bed, asleep, waiting for Levi to wake him up for breakfast. Levi wondered if he would ever be able to look at Eren’s sleeping face without thinking of this very moment ever again. He wondered if he would ever be able to see _Eren_ ever again.

Levi held Eren’s hand but he immediately drew it back. Eren’s hand was cold. Eren was never cold. Even in the winter, when they went to visit Eren’s parents at the cemetery and Levi had taken his hand to support him it had been warm. Eren was always warm.

But not now.

Just like he was no longer smiling. Levi had seen Eren’s smile more times than he could possibly count or remember, but all of a sudden he forgot what it looked like. He stared into Eren’s emotionless face and tried to remember, to force a picture his mind couldn’t create onto the sleeping male but it was no use. Levi suddenly regretted all those times he prevented Eren from taking a picture with him when they were dating. How he would love to remember what Eren was like before this. He felt ashamed for taking all those brilliant smiles, booming laughs, confident smirks, little touches, and witty remarks for granted. How he regretted taking _all_ of Eren for granted.

Levi sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He wanted to cry. He wanted to fucking sob until he slobbered filthy ass mucus all over his shirt sleeves. He wanted to cry so hardhis eyes would puff up and turn red. All he wanted was to just let it all out, let his feelings of guilt, frustration, anger, helplessness, and hurt all out. But he had spent more than half of his life keeping his feelings inside. Hiding and bottling up emotion was second nature to him, a reflex he couldn’t control. And now he was paying for it.

It hurt. It hurt really badly. Everything hurt.

He forced himself to look back at Eren. He lifted his hand and moved a strand of hair from Eren’s face. He stared at the closed eyelids, remembering the magnificent eyes that laid beneath.

“Eren. Fucking hell, Eren,” he said, knowing no one could hear him but saying it anyway.

“Please wake up,” he cradled Eren’s cheek, forcing himself to ignore how wrong everything was. Eren wasn’t supposed to here, to be like this.

And then Levi couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t sit there and look at the man that was supposed to be Eren but wasn’t. He stood up abruptly and left. He passed Armin on the way out but the blonde didn’t approach him. Armin was smart, he knew why Levi had left like that. It was too much. It was all too much. He couldn’t look at Eren on that hospital bed knowing that it could be replaced at any moment with acoffin.

***

When Levi left the hospital the day he was discharged he went home. Hanji had been to his house while he was in the hospital to clean up the scene as best she could. She had gotten rid of the blood on the floor, the broken TV, and the couch. She had tried to cover up the bullet holes in the walls with the help of Erwin, but it was no use. Levi could still see the living room as the crime scene it was and he worried he would always see it that way.

So when he got home he avoided the living room completely. He went straight to his room and pretended he wasn’t there, that he wasn’t alive. He just laid in bed, thinking, imagining.

At some point he went to his study, not really knowing what had drawn him there. Then he saw the flower crown on his desk. He picked it up delicately in his hands. The roses had wilted. He put it back on his desk, not sparing it another glance.

He moved to his book shelf and pulled out his favorite book. He opened it and right there on the page was a pressed rose petal, one of the ones he had saved from Eren’s Valentine’s Day surprise. He had a dozen more in between the pages of his other favorite books but seeing one was enough. Seeing one was enough to remember Eren.

***

Levi spent the last week of March in his house. He didn’t go to work. The only place he went was the hospital. He visited Eren every day. It was not coincidental that he happened to visit the younger at around the same time Eren used to pass by the coffee shot. No, it wasn’t coincidental but it was unconscious.

Levi barely ate, barely talked, barely did anything at all. He had allowed his friends to visit but he made a poor host, mostly hiding in his room or spacing out frequently.

On March 30th (Levi knew because he had been counting the days since Eren’s coma) there was a knock at his door. It was Armin.

“Grab your keys and wallet, we’re leaving,” Armin had said, handing Levi a bouquet of flowers. Levi was suspicious to say the least. He really hoped Armin wasn’t trying to take him on a date.

“Where are we going? Why are you giving me these flowers?” Levi asked but moved to grab his keys anyway. As he was locking the door, Armin answered.

“The hospital. It’s Eren’s birthday today,”

***

Levi really had no idea it was Eren’s birthday at all. The younger hadn’t even mentioned it was coming up. He felt even worse somehow.

When they arrived at the hospital Levi felt it was a bad idea to be there at all. He knew Mikasa would be there along with some of Eren’s friends. It wouldn’t be right to be there too, specially since he was the reason Eren was in this state in the first place.

And he was right. When he walked into Eren’s room it was packed with his friends. There were Connie and Sasha, standing by the foot of the bed. Marco and Jean were sitting by the window while Mikasa sat in the same chair Levi had sat a week ago when he came to visit Eren for the first time. Immediately upon seeing him, Mikasa rose from her chair and marched to Levi. Armin stood in between the two.

“Mikasa, no. Be reasonable,” Armin pleaded, but Mikasa remained where she was, glaring at Levi with all her might.

“He shouldn’t be here. He’s the reason—” she began but Armin cut her off.

“Levi has as much right to be here as the rest of us. He’s Eren’s boyfriend, Mikasa. When was the last time Eren dated anyone for longer than three weeks, huh? Levi deserves to be here. It’s Eren’s birthday and you _know_ he would have wanted him to be here,” Armin argued, talking to Mikasa but also addressing the rest of the group. Mikasa looked like she wanted to say something but Marco spoke up and told her that Armin was right. She let the subject go and allowed Levi remain, but not without various glares.

There was a small table by the entrance that held the gifts everyone had brought for Eren. Levi laid the flowers there carefully before standing at the foot of Eren’s bed.

It was just as painful as it had always been. No matter how many times Levi visited him he could never get used to the sight.

They all remained in Eren’s room for a while, just talking about what they would do once Eren wakes up. Jean tried his best to lighten everyone’s mood but his jokes came off as insensitive sometimes.

It was a sad sight. They all knew it. It was Eren’s 21st birthday and he wasn’t even awake for it. They had so many plans for this day. They were going to get shit faced and dance and laugh and make happy memories. They never planned to be here, spending their time blinking back tears.

It was a quick visit. Soon enough people began to drift out until it was only Mikasa, Armin, and Levi. They didn’t speak to each other or even looked at one another. Everything was about Eren at the moment. But the number soon dwindled to only one. Mikasa had to go to work and Armin had a late class to get to. Once again, it was just Levi and Eren.

“You know, Eren, you could have told me your birthday was coming up. I could have bought you something,” Levi said. He had gotten into the habit of speaking to Eren during his visits, even if he knew the younger couldn’t hear a word. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to do so.

“I’m not nearly as good at getting gifts as you,” Levi said, remembering the mug Eren had gotten him for his birthday, “but I could have gotten you a shirt, or a watch. Something nice. I probably would have spoiled you just so I could see you smile.”

Then, Levi sighed, rubbing his face. He was tired, so tired.

“Just…Eren, wake up…please,” he whispered, holding on to Eren’s hand even if it felt foreign. He looked at Eren and pondered kissing him but knew the younger’s lips would feel cold. He didn’t think he could take that. Levi settled for kissing his forehead instead.

He stood up and walked towards the door. He took one look back and then left.

Minutes later, Eren’s finger twitched in the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Nothing to worry about


	22. The More I Know

Levi was at Isabel’s house when he received the news. His phone had almost dropped from his hands when he heard it. He immediately bolted towards the front door, dragging Isabel with him. He took her car keys from the table next to the door and shoved them in her hand. By the time she had locked the door, Levi was already getting inside the car.

“Drive!” Levi said, putting on his seatbelt.

“But Levi, it’s a car,” Isabel pointed out.

“I know what it is!”

“Are you sure you’re ready to be—” Levi cut her off.

“Eren woke up. I need to get to the hospital _right_ _now_ ,”

As soon as she got the news, she stopped asking questions and immediately began to drive. Levi didn’t even notice that the car was moving. The only thing on his mind was the same thing it had been for months: Eren.

Levi practically raced through the white hallways when he arrived at the hospital. He barged into Eren’s room without a second thought. Inside was only Armin and Mikasa, standing at the foot of the bed and preventing Levi from seeing Eren. As soon as he walked in, though, they noticed his presence and turned to see him, allowing Eren to be seen between them.

He dashed through them, barely even sparing a glance. He stood in front of Eren and looked at him like he wasn’t even real. Eren was there, looking at him, smiling at him. His eyes were open, he was moving.

“Levi,” Eren said, his voice hoarse and low because he hadn’t used it in weeks. That was all Levi needed to realize this was really happening. Eren was awake, Eren was alive.

Levi almost threw himself upon Eren, hugging him so tightly Eren was wincing. He shoved his face in between Eren’s neck and relished in the warmth present there. When he pulled back, he looked at Eren’s eyes. They were as bright as ever. They were the same eyes Levi knew, the same ones he had always loved. And then Levi kissed him. He shoved their lips together with such urgency and need that it made it seem like they would die if they ever separated. When they pulled back, Eren smiled so widely Levi almost forgot the past month had ever happened.

“There’s no need to cry, Levi. I’m okay,” Eren said, holding on to Levi’s neck so the elder wouldn’t pull away.

“I’m not crying,” Levi said.

“Then what’s this?” Eren asked, pulling his hand away from the elder’s neck to wipe at his cheek. When Eren showed him his palm, it was wet. Levi _was_ crying.

“Oh,” he said before clearing his throat and pulling away from Eren. He wiped his cheeks quickly before turning to Mikasa and Armin, who were standing exactly where they were before but looking a little uncomfortable.

“Ah, sorry about that guys,” Eren said, blushing a little. Levi didn’t think he would ever be so happy to see something as simple as red cheeks.

“How? When?” Levi asked, looking at Eren but mostly asking everyone.

“Well,” Armin said, “he woke up in the middle of the night. We got a call this morning when he finally regained the ability to speak.”

Levi shot him a confused look and Armin explained.

“Eren had been in a coma for two weeks. That’s two weeks of not speaking or moving or doing anything, really. It’s going to take some time for him to adjust and do those things again. Although, his recovery time is amazing,”

“I bet I’ll be out of here by next week,” Eren grinned.

“Don’t rush anything, Eren,” Mikasa said and Levi was surprised to see that he agreed with her.

“Yeah. Don’t push yourself to recover. You’ll get better when you get better,” Levi said and watched as Eren rolled his eyes jokingly before agreeing that he wouldn’t do anything reckless.

“I can’t believe I was out for two whole weeks! I even missed my birthday!” Eren said, chuckling a little and bringing so much warmth to Levi’s chest he thought he had swallowed the sun.

“It’s okay. We can celebrate another day,” Armin reassured Eren. Conversation continued between Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. It mostly consisted of Eren trying to catch up on what he had missed. He asked silly questions, like if the president had changed or if there had been a new planet that was discovered. It made Levi smile.

The whole time Levi remained quiet, keeping his eyes on Eren like the brunette would disappear if Levi looked anywhere else. He was just so caught up in the fact that Eren was really alive and speaking and smiling like nothing had ever happened. He stared at Eren’s profile the entire time the brunette was speaking to his sister and his friend. Just looked and memorized every part of Eren’s happy face, wanting to never again wonder what it looked like.

But Levi’s staring was nowhere near subtle and Eren was unable to ignore it after a while so he asked Mikasa and Armin to leave them alone for a bit. When they left, he looked at Levi and smiled a little.

“How is your thigh? And your side?” he asked, finally snapping Levi out of his daze.

“I’m fine. They’re almost completely healed now,”

“I’m glad,”

“And you? How’s your…” Levi trailed off, his eyes drifting to Eren’s stomach.

“It hurts a little but it’s not unbearable. I’ll get better, don’t worry. I have always been one to heal fast,” Eren reassured but Levi didn’t feel any better. Eren noticed this and lifted his arm to grab Levi’s. It took an insane amount of effort but he didn’t regret doing it.

“Eren, I’m—” Eren shut him up with a look.

“Don’t say it. It’s not your fault. I know what you’re thinking. I would think the same thing if I were you. What happened wasn’t your fault,” Eren sounded like he was scolding Levi.

“It’s just that—” Eren shook his head, squeezing Levi’s hand.

“It’s nothing. No one can tell how things will play out. You could have never predicted this or prevented it. And you’re definitely not the cause of it. If you keep blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault I’ll kick your ass,” Eren smiled lightly, trying to lift the mood a little. Judging by the soft pull at Levi’s lips it had worked.

“As if,” Levi huffed.

“You’re probably right. I’ve seen you fighting first hand and I don’t think anyone could take that head on. Where did you learn all of that anyway?” Eren finally said what he had been wondering the entire time Levi was throwing knives at Kenny. He had never seen anyone fight like that. His movements were so smooth, so fluid, so perfect. It was like the instinct to fight was ingrained in every part of Levi, down to his very core.

Levi pursed his lips and looked away. Eren rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“We have been through too fucking much for you to hesitate to tell me things. Are you afraid I will judge you? Because that’s ridiculous and you’re an idiot if you think that,”

“Hey, just because you have a gunshot wound doesn’t mean I will hesitate to hurt you,” Levi warned because Eren was getting too cocky.

“What are you going to do? Kiss me to death?” Eren smirked and just like that Levi was reminded of all the times Eren would tease him with dirty jokes and suggestive glances. God, he missed this.

“You would love that, wouldn’t you?”

“There is no nobler way to die, in my opinion,” Eren grinned and everything was right in the world. Levi sighed and suddenly became serious. He would be honest and open with Eren. He didn’t have anything to hide. Not anymore.

“When I moved to Rosemaria, I needed a place to stay, obviously. I was old enough to get a job but no place would pay more than minimum wage. Of course, I couldn’t live off that. The money just wasn’t enough. Then, I found out about this underground society. It was some kind of fight club.”

“Fight club? First rule of—” Eren began, already smiling again but Levi cut him off.

“Not _that_ fight club, idiot,” Levi said, shoving Eren’s grinning face away with his hand like he had done a million times before. It only made Eren laugh lightly.

“It was this club that paid people to fight,” Levi continued, “you would join as a competitor and be paired up with opponents for you to beat up. It was serious money, about $400 to $600 a fight if you were a well known competitor. I decided to give it a try. I needed the money really badly and I knew some things about fighting. I was just a kid, of course, about 16 years old so not many people took me seriously. But I was an orphan, I knew all about trouble and how to get out of it. Not to mention Kenny treated me like his own son. He taught me basic fighting techniques for protection. I lost my first fight, predictably. But I kept going back because I really didn’t know where else to turn. And slowly I started to get better, smarter. People tend to forget that there is strategy in fighting, not just skill. Soon enough, I was a reigning champion, making more than $2,000 a week. It was an…odd job but it was a great stress reliever and it paid the bills so I never really looked for anything else. But then half way through college Erwin offered me the coffee shop and I accepted. And here I am now,”

“Jesus Christ. You’re an underground fighter? Reigning champion, you said?” Eren asked, looking so surprised Levi though his eyes would come out of his head.

“Yeah. Do you want to know what they called me?” Levi asked, remembering the name he had given himself on his first fight.

“What?” Eren asked, eager to know.

Levi looked at him dead in the eyes and smirked, “Humanity’s Strongest,”

Eren gulped while a a red hue dusted his cheeks.

“Would you be open to fucking a gunshot victim?” Eren asked and Levi couldn’t help but snort a little.

“Eren, you’re ridiculous,”

“No, I’m serious. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever heard,”

“You say that every time I say something,” Levi pointed out, remembering Eren had said those exact words multiple times before.

“What can I say? You’re the hottest person I’ve ever met,” Eren shrugged, a sly gin on his face. It made Levi want to kiss the hell out of him.

“Keep that up and you might just get what you want,” Levi teased.

“Really?” Eren perked up a little too much.

“No, not really, you idiot. You have a _gunshot_ wound,” Levi scolded, making Eren pout.

“And _I’m_ the tease in the relationship,” Eren muttered. Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes, but that only made Eren smile.

“Stop pretending like you’re annoyed and kiss me already,” Eren said, flashing Levi a knowing smile. That brat knew him better than he thought. Levi smirked and leant over to kiss him. It was sweet and slow, a little romantic and loving if Levi was being honest, but he didn’t mind. Not one bit.

When they pulled back, Eren rubbed his nose against Levi’s lightly. It made Levi’s own nose crinkle at how cheesy that was but his heart was melting a little inside.

“I love you,” Eren said, loud and clear. Levi smiled a little, knowing only Eren could see it in the empty room.

“I love you too,” he said, passing his finger through Eren’s soft hair while cupping his face. Their position made Levi hover a little over Eren, his body pressing up against the edge of Eren’s bed. Eren sneakily passed his hand against Levi’s crotch. At the contact, Levi didn’t flinch but Eren saw the surprise on his face before his eyes darkened.

“You’re such a—”

“Brat, I know. But I’m—”

“My brat, I know,” Levi answered back, smirking at Eren and showing him that two could play that game.

“You’re such—”

“An ass, I _know_ ,” Levi interrupted but Eren shook his head, “what? You weren’t going to say that?”

“Yes, I was but I was going to put “hot piece of” in front of it,” Eren smiled mischievously as Levi’s lips pulled into a smirk.

“Oh, you are so going to get the fuck of your life when you recover,” Levi teased once again, just so he could see how Eren would react.

“Really?” Eren said, repeating the same enthusiasm he had shown only minutes before.

“ _Eren!_ ” Levi gritted through his teeth. All that could be heard from Eren’s room was his boisterous laughter, a sound that Armin didn’t hesitate to point out to Mikasa. Maybe Levi wasn’t as bad of an influence as she thought.

***

Two weeks later Eren was released from the hospital. The doctors were amazed at his quick recovery time and praised Eren every second they could. Levi was worried Eren’s ego would inflate a little bit too much. But Levi had other things on his mind. Next week their trial would be held. Both Levi and Eren needed to be present and Levi was worried about Eren having to relive the traumatic moment. They had already argued about that. Eren insisted that it was fine and that he would be at the trial as a witness. Levi mentioned that it might be too much for Eren too soon. It got a little heated in the hospital room until Mikasa barged in, wondering why Eren was yelling.

They soon got over it, though. Eren acknowledged Levi’s concern but assured the elder that he was fine. He cared more about Levi remaining outside of jail than anything else. Levi once again lost to Eren’s stubbornness.

Coming out of the hospital, Eren began to complain about how much time he lost in school and how he was going to be busy for months trying to catch up on all his classes. Levi only huffed at the younger’s complaints as he opened his car.

A lot had changed since Eren woke up. Levi had moved out of his old house, unable to look inside it anymore. Every time he stepped foot inside his living room memories of what had happened rushed into his head so quickly he would become dizzy. He would stare at the same spot Eren had been shot at as if he could still see the blood there. He would gauge every part of the wall that was once shot through with bullets as if the holes had never been covered up. Every time he looked at his house he smelled the stench of blood and death. He couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t like he was particularly attached to it anyway.

When he found a house available for rent he immediately sprung upon it. Conveniently, this new one was closer to his job and was even a little bigger, containing a backyard and an extra bathroom.In the midst of his moving, he had unpacked an old driver’s license he remembered getting his second year of college. He had gotten it simply as an ID, not really looking to drive anything any time soon. The test itself was the most driving Levi ever did while in Rosemaria. He didn’t even need to practice before the test since he had learned how to in France (he had also gotten a license in France but it was not valid here, which is why he had to take the driving test in the first place).

The old license had expired but it was no problem getting a replacement. While it had taken Levi almost the whole day at the DMV, he had walked out with a crisp new one. Before Levi knew it, he had also bought a car, figuring the license was of no use without something to drive. Quickly enough, Levi had gotten over his fear of cars. He had been extremely nervous at first, refusing to drive around with anyone in case things went wrong. He didn’t want to put anyone else in danger. But it wasn’t long before everything came back to him. He was driving without trembling in no time. By the time Eren got out of the hospital, he was as calm as a millpond.

“Look at you. Mr. Bigshot driving to his brand new house. And driving a Mercedes!” Eren gasped, staring at slick black car with wide eyes.

“It’s just a car, Eren,”

“Just a car?! It’s—It’s a convertible! How did you afford this?”

“I was really good at saving the money I got from my fights. The coffee shop has been doing pretty well for the last couple of years too. Oh, yeah, and I invest a little,” Levi shrugged, putting on his seatbelt and starting the car.

“Don’t tell me you’re a millionaire,” Eren gaped, putting on his own seatbelt without breaking eye contact with Levi.

“No”—he smirked at Eren before putting on his shades to block the sun that would surely blind him while he drove—“just a multimillionaire,”

“What?!” Eren gasped, jumping a little in his seat.

“Eren, I’m joking. Of course I’m not a multimillionaire. I’m just…well off, okay?”

“That’s what rich people say,” Eren frowned, still looking at Levi as the elder pulled out form the parking lot.

“Whatever,”

“I can’t believe this. Everyday I learn something new about you,”

“Is that a bad thing?” Levi asked, looking at Eren now that he was at a red light.

“Are you kidding? It’s the best!” Eren grinned before leaning over and kissing him gently, “Now take me to this mansion of yours, sugar Daddy,”

Levi choked on his own spit as cars honked behind him because the light had turned green but Levi wasn’t moving. Levi wasn’t doing much of anything really, except trying to catch his breath because the words that had come out of Eren’s mouth were so unbelievably hot that maybe Levi would consider soiling his brand new car with some heated car sex.

Eren only laughed at Levi’s reaction before smiling innocently and telling Levi he should probably drive before the driver behind them got out of his car to pick a fight with them.

Levi avoided Eren’s eyes for the rest of the drive, thinking about how he would definitely have to marry this brat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy! Angst is no big deal when there's a happy ending, right?


	23. Never Enough

***Three years later***

“You _could_ have mentioned that when you said you lived in France, you meant in Paris,” Eren complained for the fifteenth time once they got off the plane and were heading for baggage claim.

“Eh,”—Levi shrugged— “you Americans always think Paris when people talk about France.”

“That’s not true!” Eren protested.

“Yes, it is,”

“Maybe with other people but not with me,”

“Eren,”—Levi sighed, looking at the younger—“name one city in France besides Paris,”

“Uhhhh…Notre Dame?” Levi was almost offended.

“Unbelievable. I don’t know how you managed to graduate university,” Levi huffed, already luckily locating their bag and moving to pick it up.

“Hey, I graduated with _honors_. Get it right,” Eren bragged, quickly following Levi to finally get out of the airport. It had been a very long flight and he was exhausted. The process to get out of the airport was a little tedious, but they managed to get through it without any complaints.

“Are we not getting a car?” Eren asked when he saw Levi walk out of the airport and into the sidewalk.

“You can’t enjoy Paris in a car, Eren. You’ll miss everything. Besides, I haven’t been here since I was 16, I’d like to enjoy it the most I can,” Levi said, grabbing Eren’s hand instinctively.

“We’re going to the hotel, right?” Eren asked, already yawning.

“Yes, but we’re heading out immediately. I told you to sleep on the plane so you wouldn’t get jet lagged,”

“It’s not my fault I wasn’t sleepy!”

“Brat,” Levi muttered.

Eren had to agree with Levi in that walking was much better than seeing everything pass you by in a car. Paris was more gorgeous than he ever thought. He would definitely be coming back again some other time.

When they arrived at the hotel, they laid their things down and relaxed for a couple of minutes. Levi even allowed Eren to take a quick power nap while he unpacked their clothes and made sure the hotel room was up to his standards. When he was done, he promptly woke up Eren and they headed out.

Their search began.

***

After a couple of hours and multiple cemeteries, they finally found it.

They stood in front of the tombstone, a little clean because of the maintenance the cemetery workers did but looking a little lonely and abandoned all the same. With Kenny dead and his wife somewhere Levi didn’t know nor cared about, Petra’s burying place was hard to find, but not impossible. There were only so many places she could be.

Levi stood in front of it, standing in disbelief. This is the first time he had ever visited her grave. Eren was right. Standing right in front of the stone made the fact that she was dead so much more real.

Eren squeezed his hand reassuringly and knelt down. He gave the bouquet of flowers they had bought to Levi so he could lay them there himself. Shakily, he put them down and took a deep breath to calm down.

“It’s okay to cry, you know?” Eren said, unlinking his hand to rub Levi’s back and give him a side hug.

“I don’t want to cry. I’m actually happy I’m here,” Levi said, lifting up a hand to trace Petra’s name, “I’m glad I got to come here and visit her at least once,”

“Yeah. And now you know where she is so when we come to visit in the future you can always come to say hi,” Eren reminded him and saw Levi nod.

They remained there a while, just staring at the stone but Eren knew that Levi wasn’t just looking at it aimlessly. He was remembering all the times he had with Petra, all the times he thought about her while at Rosemaria. He was probably even talking to her in his head right now, letting her know that he was okay and happy.

Once they left they spent the rest of the day walking around and taking in the sights of the city. Levi suggested visiting the big tourist places first and then spending the rest of their week visiting “the real Paris”, which according to him consisted of local bakeries and shops that he believed were what really made Paris so unique.

They visited Notre Dame.

“You see, Eren, _that’s_ Notre Dame,” Levi pointed out, “It’s not a city. It’s a fucking Cathedral.”

Eren only huffed in annoyance.

They visited the Louvre.

“Someone call security,” Eren said, grabbing Levi by the waist and facing him.

“Why?” Levi frowned.

“Because they said not to touch the artwork but here I am,” Eren smirked, pulling Levi closer and kissing him lovingly.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Levi said, pushing the elder away. Eren pretended he didn’t see the blush on Levi’s cheeks.

They had dinner at a small restaurant Levi couldn’t believe was still open.

“Can you please order for me?” Eren pleaded, really not wanting to point to the picture in the menu to the waitress just because he couldn’t speak French.

“No, do it yourself. You will never learn how to speak French if you don’t practice it,” Levi scolded, not even sparing Eren a glance.

“I’ll have you know that when we go visit Germany you will be on your own,” Eren huffed, pouting cutely while looking at his menu.

When the waitress arrived Levi ordered first, hoping Eren would catch the key words he used. Eren, a quick learner like always, followed Levi’s lead and repeated the same words Levi said but with his own order instead.

“Merci,” Eren told the waitress, who gave him a pained smile at hearing him try to speak French.

“Not bad. You barely have an accent,” Levi said, only a little sarcastically.

“You’re so cruel. You know the only French I know is the one you whisper in my ear while we’re fucking,” Eren glared but Levi only smirked, remembering the time Eren had asked him to do that.

“Oh, you definitely don’t want to say that to anyone here,” Levi teased. Eren only grew a little red.

After dinner they walked around the city until they arrived at the most beautiful bridge Eren had ever seen.

“It’s called Pont Alexandre III,” Levi informed while they walked.

“It’s fucking gorgeous,” Eren said, now stopping to look at the sunset. The sky was a mixture of orange and red with hints of purple. Eren leaned his forearms against the railing of the bridge to take in the sight. Levi felt a weird sense of deja vu.

“Yeah, it really is gorgeous,” Levi said, but he wasn’t looking at the sunset or the bridge. His eyes were firmly fixed on Eren.

 _Well, it’s now or never_ , Levi thought.

He reached inside his pant pocket and got on one knee beside Eren. Eren noticed the movement and looked to his side, seeing him do the action that could only mean one thing.

“Oh my god,” Eren said, a hand coming up to his mouth.

“Eren—”

“Oh my god, this is _so_ cheesy,” Eren interrupted, making Levi frown a little.

“Cheesy?” Levi was torn between feeling offended and complimented.

“You’re proposing on a bridge in Paris, the city of love!”

“I’ll have you know we met on a bridge!” Levi reminded Eren. He had planned this to the last detail. This bridge wasn’t a coincidence. Eren noticed and immediately ate his words.

“You’re right. Please, continue,” he said, smiling widely.

“Eren”—the said male squealed a little, Levi rolled his eyes—“I’ve known I wanted to marry you since the day you woke up from your coma all those years ago. You’re just the most perfect person I’ve ever met and I can’t help but be selfish and want you all to myself. Almost four years ago, we stood on a bridge like this one (although much uglier) when you saved my life and changed it forever. The first time I ever saw you, I saw only your eyes. And for the weeks that we didn’t see each other all I thought about were your stupid eyes. During your coma, it tore me apart to know that I would probably never see you again. It tore me apart to think that I would never see you look at me the way that you do, with bright eyes full of love. To this day I have no idea their precise color. Sometimes they look blue, sometimes green, and in a specific lighting they look teal. But their color doesn’t matter too much. What I love most about your eyes is that they’re so utterly you. They give you away. When I look at you, when I look inside those eyes, I can see everything about you and who you are. You hold your soul there, Eren, and it’s the most beautiful thing. I wish I could show my true self like that and be brave like you. Maybe I can’t do it all the time but today... today I will be like you and show you who I truly am. So, Eren, look into my eyes and tell me what you see. Do you see how much I love you? Do you see that all I am is just a man ardently in love with you?”

Eren kneeled down in front of Levi, tears streaming down his face but smiling so wide it surely must hurt. He put his hand against Levi’s cheek and held it it, rubbing his thumb against the elder’s cheekbone. He did as he was told. Eren looked into Levi’s eyes and saw the things her never realized were always there but would now never miss again.

“I see, Levi. I see,” Eren whispered to him, pressing his forehead against Levi’s.

“So, will you marry me?” Levi asked, pulling away a little to open the black velvet box and reveal the ring he had bought a year ago.

“Yes!” Eren nodded adamantly, his voice failing him beyond saying anything else.

Levi almost sighed in relief as he picked up the ring and placed it on Eren’s ring finger. Somehow, it made Eren look even more beautiful.

“Wow, it fits perfectly! How did you...?” Eren asked, looking at it with wonder but with the biggest smile Levi had ever seen.

“You’d be surprised at how much weird information Mikasa knows about you,” Levi shrugged, not really wanting to talk about anyone but Eren.

“Levi, I love you so fucking much,” Eren said, once again moving to hold on to Levi’s cheek and neck. Levi smiled a little; he really couldn’t help it. Every time those words came out of Eren’s mouth, his heart would tingle warmly.

“I love you too, brat,” he said before kissing Eren sweetly, using his thumbs to wipe the tears on Eren’s cheeks.

They rose from their kneeling position to look at the sunset once again. They both leaned their forearms on the railing while they leaned forward. While this was very similar to the first time they had met, this time their hands were linked together and they were standing impossibly close to each other. Eren’s ring shined in the setting sun as he moved to kiss Levi yet again. Just like always, they just couldn’t get enough of each other. They doubted they ever would.

The end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it! Let me know what you think! Thank you so much for sticking by this far! I hope you enjoyed it!


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